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YSP Programs: Advertising

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Advertising programs have been deployed in many markets, mainly as a supporting tool for other types of YSP initiatives. They can be directed at the trade, parents, the community at large, or at teens themselves. The purpose of such advertising programs is to convey messages that help young people resist the peer pressure to smoke. They also serve to educate retailers and the general public about the issue of youth smoking or local minimum-age regulations.

YSP Get Hip With MTV

On March 19 2001 JTI, together with BAT and PMI launched a Youth Smoking Prevention (YSP) television advertising campaign on the MTV European network. The advertisements featuring young, hip and active people who don't smoke ran for 18 weeks. The campaign's message stated that you can be "cool" and not smoke encouraging a cultural shift among young people. Advertising on MTV reached 80 million households across Europe as a result of using this unprecedented medium.

Inspired by the success of the YSP campaign on MTV in 2001, JT International and Philip Morris International ran a new advertising project on MTV in 2002. The 2002 campaign featured 12 YSP advertisements broadcast in 80 countries and reaching 240 million homes in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia. The research confirmed the positive impact of this campaign in making a contribution to creating an environment in which kids are less likely to smoke.

This campaign marked an important milestone in our company’s and the industry’s commitment to the Youth Smoking Prevention cause. By using creative visuals and media, we were able to effectively communicate our messages to help young people resist peer pressure to smoke.