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Youth smoking and vaping prevention

We use provocative, creative, and innovative approaches to influence culture, inspire youth and young adults, and initiate action. All grounded in research. All to achieve a future where commercial tobacco use and nicotine addiction is a thing of the past.

Our truth® campaign changes culture to save lives

We expose the truth about smoking, vaping and nicotine with our national counter-marketing campaign, the longest-running and most successful national tobacco prevention campaign for youth and young adults. truth delivers the facts about the health effects and social consequences of smoking, vaping and nicotine use and the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry so that young people can make informed choices and influence others to do the same. Developed from extensive formative research, the campaign goes toe-to-toe with an industry that spends more than $9 billion each year to market tobacco products in the U.S. We are David to Big Tobacco's Goliath.

We connect with youth and young adults

Our brand is ubiquitous in youth culture. Online and in-person, we take on the tobacco industry and expose the truth about its products. Whether it is through provocative videos, creative digital and social channels, signature truth-branded merchandise or our presence at popular music and sports events with iconic “truth trucks,”  we connect with youth and young adults through the venues they understand and trust.

A track record of saving lives

The truth works. We know that truth has prevented millions of young people from becoming smokers and helped drive down the youth smoking rate from 23% in 2000 to now just 2.3%.

See our impact
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Helping end the opioid crisis

In 2018, after nearly a year of formative work, Truth Initiative launched the public education truth prevention campaign, The Truth About Opioids, in partnership with the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Ad Council. The campaign is designed to help young people understand the dangers of opioid misuse and addiction and the role they can play in creating change.

Read more about our opioid work

Rewarding work

Saving lives is the true measure of our success, but winning awards never hurts. We have racked up more than 450 industry awards — and counting — for our effectiveness and creativity, including multiple Emmy, Cannes Lion, Effie, Clio and Webby awards. truth was even named a top 15 campaign of the 21st century by AdAge and is considered the most successful public health education campaign in modern history. But we'll never rest on our laurels. Our biggest success will be when tobacco use and nicotine addiction are a thing of the past.

See our awards