Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A study commissioned by American Legacy Foundation, an anti-smoking foundation, says tobacco giant Philip Morris’ campaign to discourage teen-agers from smoking is having the opposite effect.
Howard Willard, senior vice president of youth smoking prevention at Philip Morris USA, said the company was "confident that our youth smoking prevention ads clearly convey the message that not smoking is the right decision for kids to make."
Nonsmoking teens exposed to the Legacy Foundation’s "truth" ads were more likely to rule out smoking in the future, the findings said, but exposure to Philip Morris’ ads "was associated with an increase in the odds of youths intending to smoke in the next year."
Michael Wood, vice president of Teenage Research Unlimited, said the young people in Philip Morris’ "Think, Don’t Smoke" ads don’t look believable, while teen viewers could believe that the "edgy, nonmainstream kids" in the Legacy ads might have considered smoking.
One of Legacy’s truth ads shows teens dragging body bags in front of a cigarette company’s office.
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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