truth® Receives Cannes Lions Award For Left Swipe Dat

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The truth® campaign was recognized for excellence in Branded Content and Entertainment at the Cannes Lions 62nd International Festival of Creativity. Its attention-getting, viral music video Left Swipe Dat received the Cannes Bronze Lion Award.

The truth ad, which features musicians Becky G and Fifth Harmony, debuted as part of The Grammy Awards broadcast in February 2015. The video's array of internet icons and humorous approach quickly earned it a place in pop culture. The handle #leftswipedat became a number one trending topic across social platforms worldwide and the phrase "Left Swipe That" now appears in the Urban Dictionary. The video has been viewed online more than 39 million times.

"Left Swipe's genius is that it recognizes and embraces the facts that the tobacco industry has evolved, youth have evolved and channels of influence have evolved," said Robin Koval, CEO and president of Legacy. "Smoking-related behavior is being renormalized largely due to social media – where pictures of people smoking are easily seen and shared. Through Left Swipe Dat, we highlight the power of social media to counter that message and empower today's youth to exert their online influence to end smoking for good."

Left Swipe Dat calls attention to images of smoking posted by some young people on dating platforms and taps into the phenomenon of "swiping left" to define something as unattractive. Results of a social experiment on a popular dating app showed that profile pictures which include images of smoking get twice as many "left swipes" or rejections as those that do not. truth, along with its advertising agency, 72 and Sunny, Assembly Media and its public relations agency of record, Ketchum, was able to reframe and reignite the conversation about tobacco use among teens, adults and the media through an integrated marketing campaign and national media strategy.

The Finish It campaign was created to empower today's generation of young people to be the one to end tobacco for good. When truth launched Finish It in August 2014 the teen smoking rate was at 9 percent, down from 23 percent in 2000.

The Cannes Lions recognize excellence in campaigns, techniques, design and activations, and are awarded annually to the best advertising, production, media, public relations and design teams for their work in the creative industry.

About LegacyLegacy envisions an America where tobacco is a thing of the past, where all youth and young adults reject tobacco use. Legacy's proven-effective and nationally-recognized public education programs include truth®, the national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EX®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; and research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. To learn more about Legacy's life-saving programs, visit www.LegacyForHealth.org.

Follow us on Twitter at @legacyforhealth and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Legacy.       

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SOURCE Legacy