Reality Check members will attend many local events to share their knowledge of big to***co targeting youth in advertisments. that they can enjoy with their friends, represent Reality Check and educate others. Initiatives:
1. Point of Sale
The to***co industry spends billions of dollars to market its deadly and addictive products in our stores. To***co companies use lucrative contracts to ensure
that many retailers are marketing their deadly products. These contracts include requirements to prominently display to***co products in the most visible locations of stores: behind cash registers or near check out lines where all customers, including children, are forced to see them. These product displays create a false impression for youth of the social acceptability and popularity of to***co use. Exposure to to***co marketing in stores is a primary cause of youth smoking. Every day, children and teens are exposed to a tremendous amount of to***co marketing in our grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies. To protect our children, our state must reduce youth exposure to in-store to***co marketing.
2.Smoke free Media
Big To***co has known the power of the media for decades and has a long history with the entertainment industry. The to***co industry uses to***co imagery and brand identification on screen to both normalize and glamorize to***co use. Teens consume more media than ever, watching an average of almost 11 hours of media in any given day. The media youth consume is often completely unregulated, giving the to***co industry direct access to teens’ daily lives. The to***co industry uses the media to target youth by having their favorite actors and actresses light up on both television and movie screens. Research shows that the more smoking youth see on screen, the more likely they are to start smoking. As teens spend more and more time on the web, Big To***co spends more and more cash on internet marketing. There are currently no state or federal laws regulating how the to***co industry markets on the web. This gives the industry free range to target youth in new stealthy ways through buzz/viral marketing. With anonymous posting as easy as the click of a mouse, the to***co industry can easily claim innocence while recruiting new replacement smokers for the 1200 Americans they lose daily to to***co related illnesses. Reality Check aims to expose the to***co industry and de-normalize and de-glamorize to***co use on screen.
