Using teens as frontline soldiers in the war against smoking is one of the most effective ways to deflate tobacco's "cool" image among youth. This "kids helping kids" approach is the crux of the American Lung Association's TATU program (Teens Against Tobacco Use) and a driving factor in it recently gaining national managed care momentum.
Last April, Humana pledged $2 million and 50,000 employee volunteer hours - TATU's largest source of corporate volunteer support.
For Humana, this partnership allows the health plan to make a bold positioning claim. "We put our money where our mouth is," says Tom Noland, Humana's VP of corporate communications. In other words, the considerable financial and volunteer support "shows" rather than tells how serious the health plan is about making a difference in youth tobacco use.
So far, the Humana/TATU campaign has recruited the support of 500 teen volunteers and 125 employees and has attracted significant local media coverage in four of the nine markets in which it is being implemented.
Overall the TATU program, which is part of the ALA's national umbrella "Smoke-Free Class of 2000" initiative, has recruited 4,000 adult trainers and 30,000 teen trainers, reaching as many as 300,000 elementary school kids.
Teens as Role Models
The TATU outreach formula teaches Humana employee volunteers how to reach elementary school children (primarily fourth-, fifth- and sixth graders) with anti-smoking messages. Volunteers are trained to work with teens, who in turn talk to younger students about the dangers of tobacco use.
The program transforms teens into child advocates, encouraging children to talk openly about their personal brushes with tobacco and educating them about how tobacco companies often target them with youthful marketing campaigns, a la Joe Camel.
Humana is funding the program in nine markets and last year launched high-profile press events in Louisville, Ky. (corporate headquarters) and Miami featuring Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug. The media hook at the Miami event, held in October at an elementary school, was Strug extinguishing the world's largest cigarette - a 50-foot tall cylinder.
Strug was the celebrity face the campaign needed, says Bob Lauder, VP of Doe-Anderson, TATU's PR agency in Louisville. Not too preachy, Strug was down to earth and eager to talk one-on-one with kids about "being strong enough to make the right decisions in life," Lauder said.
The top newspapers, TV stations and radio stations in both the Louisville and Miami markets highlighted Strug's participation in the campaign.
Although Strug was the face of the campaign, media relations efforts emphasized the high social cost of youth smoking in each market, including:
- At least 3.1 million adolescents nationwide are current smokers.
- Nearly 34 percent of children smoke in Florida.
- U. S. healthcare costs associated with smoking totaled $50 million in 1993.
As the campaign evolves, the focus of media pitches will be on teens who are championing anti-smoking efforts on a local basis, says Lauder.
This spring, Humana is rolling the program out in Austin, Tex., Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Fla., and Kansas City with the goal of recruiting 10,000 teens by year-end.
Grassroots Focus
While the national statistics on teen smoking are staggering, attacking it on the local level is vital, says Cynthia Wright, ALA/TATU's director of marketing. Everyday 3,000 children start smoking and a third of those children will, as adults, eventually die from a smoking-related illness, according to ALA.
While national public service campaigns are necessary to combat the powerful marketing images from tobacco companies, local outreach is what brings salient messages home.
Humana's funding and volunteer resources allows TATU to more aggressively target high schools and grammar schools with unique and tangible youth advocacy opportunities.
For instance, the program will pursue "service learning" opportunities with schools that allow students to receive credit toward graduation for participating in TATU.
And on the promotional front, the program is ideal for local youth-focused forums, marches and town meetings, says Lauder.
(ALA, Cynthia Wright, 212/315-8790; Doe-Anderson, Bob Lauder, 502/589-1700; Humana, Tom Noland, 502/580-3676)
Doe-Anderson
Headquarters: Louisville, Ky.
Founded: 1915
Billings: More than $80 million
# Employees: More than 100
Healthcare Clients: Humana, University of Louisville Hospital
Focus: Advertising and PR