Truth Initiative Names Initiative as Media Agency of Record

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 17, 2024) – Truth Initiative, a national public health organization dedicated to preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all, has selected Initiative as its new Media Agency of Record (AOR), effective July 1, 2024. A highly regarded global marketing and media company, Initiative will be responsible for media strategy, planning, and buying as well as social influencer engagement on behalf of Truth Initiative, the organization behind the nationally recognized and award-winning truth® youth tobacco public education campaign.

Initiative, an award-winning agency named AdAge’s 2023 Media Agency of the Year, brings a wealth of expertise in breaking through to youth audiences, especially those most impacted by tobacco use and nicotine addiction. With a proven track record in delivering powerful public health campaigns, Initiative will leverage its industry-leading Youth Center of Excellence to further advance Truth Initiative’s mission. Initiative will utilize cultural drivers, engaging content and personalized experiences to raise awareness among young people to make more informed decisions about tobacco products, and drive enrollments into Truth Initiative’s market-leading quit programs.

In making the announcement, Truth Initiative CEO and President Kathy Crosby said, “Initiative is well suited to help us reach young people with our national tobacco knowledge-building and evidence-based quitting program campaigns, aimed at creating a future free from lifelong addiction and fostering healthier lives. Through firsthand experience working with Initiative, they’ve demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in breaking through to young audiences to drive behavior change. They will help us work smarter, faster, and stronger in addressing the forces and impact of nicotine addiction, especially the public health threats of youth and young adult smoking and e-cigarette use.”

“Initiative is uniquely positioned to help Truth Initiative in its next chapter,” said Stacy DeRiso, Initiative US CEO. “We’re beyond thrilled to be a part of Truth Initiative’s journey to protect the health of the nation’s youth and young adults and ultimately make nicotine addiction a thing of the past.”

About Truth Initiative

Truth Initiative is a national nonprofit public health organization committed to a future free from lifelong addiction, fostering healthier lives and a more resilient nation. Our mission is to prevent youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empower quitting for all. Through our evidence-based, market-leading cessation EX Program and the nationally recognized truth® public education campaign, we are leading the fight against youth and young adult tobacco use, which threatens to put a new generation at risk of nicotine addiction. Our first-of-its-kind text message quit vaping program, This Is Quitting, has enrolled over 745,000 young people across the country, and our youth e-cigarette prevention curriculum, Vaping: Know the truth®, is currently implemented in over 9,000 schools nationwide, reaching a total of over one million students thus far. Our rigorous scientific research and policy studies, community and youth engagement programs supporting populations at high risk of using tobacco, and innovation in tobacco dependence treatment continue to contribute to ending one of the most critical public health battles of our time. Based in Washington, D.C., our organization was established and funded through the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories, and the tobacco industry. To learn more, visit truthinitiative.org.

About Initiative

Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing what unites people and what makes them different. When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow. Initiative builds Fame & Flow for brands like Amazon, Nike, Constellation Brands, Merck, and T-Mobile. To learn more, visit initiative.com.