Legacy Makes Its Case in ‘8 Seconds’

ATLANTA Three new 30-second radio ads are scheduled to join the “Truth” anti-smoking campaign in the next two weeks, according to the American Legacy Foundation.

The first two spots, “Radiolist” and “8 Seconds,” launch this week. The third spot, “Kills More,” will begin airing the following week. They will run nationally through the end of February.

In “8 Seconds,” the announcer says someone dies from using tobacco products every eight seconds, noting that four people died during the 30 seconds it took him to explain the fact.

The radio spots join four television commercials currently airing in the “Truth” campaign. One TV spot shows a crowd of people in New York’s Union Square with large orange arrows above them with labels such as “Low self-esteem,” “Not into ideas” or “Emotionally insecure.” A teenager witnessing the scene says, “These are all terms taken from Big Tobacco’s files that have been used to describe different groups of potential customers for their deadly, addictive products. Now that’s customer appreciation for you.”

A fifth TV ad will be added to the campaign in February, before the current campaign ends at the end of March and new concepts are introduced.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami and Arnold in Boston share creative duties on the “Truth” account.

Legacy, which was created with money tobacco companies paid in 1998 to settle multiple lawsuits, launched the “Truth” campaign in 2000.