WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Smoking=no cats=no cat videos. During the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, truth calls on viewers to prevent #CATmageddon. The campaign uses the fact that pets are two times as likely to get cancer if their owner smokes as a way to gain attention for the number one cause of preventable death — tobacco.
Cats are twice as likely to get cancer if their owner smokes
Smoking = No Cats = No Cat Videos
Be the generation that ends smoking
So, what would #CATmageddon look like?
The ad is humorous — featuring some of the Internet's furriest stars including Aaron's Animals, Keyboard Cat and Lil Bub to name a few — but the underlying message is serious: tobacco kills. One in three youth smokers will eventually die from tobacco-related diseases, and the harm extends beyond just humans. For those who overlook the long-term impact tobacco has on the body, it's harder to ignore the harm that tobacco has on pets. With more than 1.1 million cat channels on YouTube, the threat of an Internet without cat videos underscores the urgency of the tobacco epidemic.
"Pets are two times as likely to get cancer if their owner smokes," said Robin Koval, CEO and president of Truth Initiative, the national public health organization that directs and funds the truth campaign. "#CATmageddon uses some of the Internet's most popular cats to show the impact of tobacco use on teens and pets alike. Teens understand the health effects of smoking, but may not appreciate how smoking impacts their daily lives. But smoking affects just about everything teens care about – relationships, the environment, and even animals – in immediate and unexpected ways. And the effects will be felt whether or not they personally smoke."
Petco, a leading pet specialty retailer that focuses on nurturing powerful relationships between people and pets, is teaming up with truth and will spread the word through their social and web presence by providing information to pet parents nationwide; elevating the issue of tobacco and the impact that it can have on pets.
"At Petco, we believe wholeheartedly in the power of the human-animal bond and everything we do is designed to help pets and pet parents live life to the fullest," said Dr. Whitney Miller, Director of Veterinary Medicine for Petco. "This campaign aligns perfectly with our focus on pet wellness and our vision for healthier pets, happier people and a better world. truth is sending a powerful message to animal lovers of all kinds, smokers or not, and we're proud to get behind it."
The ad is the latest extension of truth's Finish It campaign, which launched in August 2014 and aims to empower smokers and nonsmokers alike to make this the generation that ends tobacco use for good. Teen cigarette smoking rates are down to a historic low of 7 percent, compared to 23 percent in 2000, and truth remains committed to providing teens with the facts and inspiration they need to #FinishIt once and for all. More than 267 million people have joined the #FinishIt movement thus far.
#CATmageddon follows "Left Swipe 'Dat," which premiered at the 2015 Grammys and introduced the surprising impact that tobacco has on another teen passion point: dating and relationships. With the #CATmageddon campaign, truth continues to use popular culture as a way to engage in the conversation about tobacco. Sharing the ad on social media is one way to spread the message. To celebrate 1,000 re-tweets of the ad from @truthorange, cat-superstar Aaron's Animals will unlock a unique video via thetruth.com. Follow YouTube.com/truthorange and @truthorange to join the movement.
The Finish It campaign and new #CATmageddon video, was created by truth's agency of record 72andSunny. Media planning and buying is handled by Assembly, truth's media agency of record.
About truth truth® is one of the most successful and one of the largest national youth tobacco prevention campaigns. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking. truth gives teens facts to make their own informed choices about tobacco use and inspires them to use their social influence and creativity in the fight against tobacco. The campaign is credited with preventing hundreds of thousands of teens from starting to smoke, and is working to make this the generation that ends smoking for good. To learn more, visit thetruth.com. truth is part of Truth Initiative, a national public health organization dedicated to achieving a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco. To learn more about Truth Initiative's work speaking, seeking and spreading the truth about tobacco, visit truthinitiative.org.
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