DEBUNKIFY

DEBUNKIFY is a campaign established in July 2006 aimed at dispelling tobacco and secondhand smoke misperceptions. A mobile marketing tour, complete with a DEBUNKIFY-branded vehicle and a team of brand ambassadors, canvassed the state of Ohio on a 10-month run, with the aim of debunking tobacco myths and correcting tobacco misperceptions at each of its stops.^[1]

Two key components of the DEBUNKIFY Tour included "Smokescreen", which allowed smokers and those who considered themselves "social smokers" to see the effects of smoking and their likelihood of long-term addiction, and "Sound Off", which provided audience members a forum to speak their minds about tobacco misperceptions and the impact on Ohio’s tobacco addiction.

Beginning in January 2007, 21 some Ohio-based bands toured the state for seven months as part of the "standTunz Myth Farewell Tour". Each DEBUNKIFY-branded event consisted of musical performances by participating standTunz bands, an appearance by the DEBUNKIFY Mobile Tour and free DEBUNKIFY gear. Events were staged at bars and music venues frequented by young adults in order to target the 18-24 year-old demographic.

Throughout June 2007, 17 participating standTunz artists battled it out online for a chance to play at the Myth Farewell Tour Main Event.^[2] For five weeks, Ohioans cast nearly 15,300 votes at debunkify.com for their favorite tobacco-free Ohio band. As a result, Kate Voegele and Jackson Rohm from Cleveland headlined the Main Event on July 14 at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus. The MFT Main Event served as the final event to the 10-month mobile tour and the seven-month Myth Farewell Tour.

Together, the Myth Farewell Tour and the DEBUNKIFY Mobile Tour reached more than 55,000 youth and young adults.

References

1. ^ http://www.wtap.com/news/headlines/5278201.html
2. ^ http://www.cd101.com/sections/events/picturepages/picture_page.asp?pp_id=1198