protecting teen athletes through anti-vape education

In Oklahoma, 21.8% of high schoolers use e-cigarettes, which is more than double the national average of 10%. From sponsorships and advertising to product placement, Big Tobacco has done everything they can to associate their deadly products with athletes and an active lifestyle. This has led many youth to believe that tobacco and nicotine aren’t a threat to athletic achievement and can be seen as part of an athletic aesthetic. This cannot be further from the truth, as nicotine is one of the most addictive substances and has severe negative impact on the body and mind. Vaping, dipping, smoking and other forms of nicotine use are performance killers that have no place in young athletes’ lives and can alter an athlete’s journey causing lung damage, low endurance, heart stress, impaired brain function, slow healing from injuries and nicotine addiction and dependence.

To educate young athletes on the impact of nicotine and tobacco, we created print ads aimed at encouraging parents and coaches to speak on the dangers of these substances. These ads informed young athletes about the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine use and how it can affect their athletic careers. We sought to reach coaches and parents who mentor and lead these young athletes, allowing a credible voice in the lives of athletes to educate them.

We distributed this message through paid print advertising in a popular Oklahoma sports magazine that highlights young athletes across the state. This platform allowed us to reach the target audience of parents and coaches who would likely be the ones to talk to Oklahoma athletes.

The creative in the print campaign incorporated Tobacco Stops With Me (TSWM) brand colors, along with black and white images of student athletes tailored to the season of the sport featured in the magazine. TSWM had print ads in all regional issues across the state, but in the primary sports preview magazines, which were distributed directly to coaches. Along with the ads, we provided posters for the coaches to hang in the locker room and a letter encouraging them to discuss the serious health risks of vaping with their athletes. The print ads reached all parts of Oklahoma from the Northwest to the Southeast and everything in between, ensuring we connected with our target audience. The preview magazines featuring posters, letters and print ads highlighted football in June, softball in July and basketball in November. Throughout the year, regional issues covered nearly every sport, including football, softball, volleyball, cheer, basketball, soccer, baseball, track, tennis and golf. By targeting these diverse sports and audiences, TSWM aimed to educate coaches and parents on the risks vaping poses to both the health and athletic performance of young athletes.

The main sports preview issues were distributed to over 550 football, softball and basketball coaches across the state. Each poster included a QR code that directed coaches to a student athlete resource page on the TSWM website, offering valuable education materials. Coaches and or parents who scanned the QR code stayed on the page for 3:18 minutes, exceeding our KPI by 65%.

Since the first print insertion in June 2024, the student athlete resource page has attracted 158,175 users.