FDA Campaign Uncovers the 'Real Cost' of Cigarette Smoking on Teens' Mental Health

This week, the FDA, in partnership with its agency of record, FCB New York, is embarking on a new campaign to show how withdrawal from nicotine in cigarettes can lead to symptoms of anxiety, feeling angry or irritable, insomnia, excessive worrying, restlessness, and fatigue - key factors that negatively impact mental health among teens. 

The new campaign is the latest push under the FDA’s The Real Cost initiative to focus on combating cigarette smoking among teens. This latest national creative launching across social media (TikTok and Snapchat), digital, and radio sets out to provoke teens to rethink what they know about the dangers of smoking - which, in their minds, is often associated with longer-term health issues and addiction - and instead consider the immediate effects cigarette cravings and withdrawal will have on their mental health and wellness.

Driving the campaign is a spot called 'Auctioneer,' which centres on a sinister lead character auctioning off a series of mental health issues ranging from the inability to sleep, to lack of concentration, and ultimately, to overall peace of mind. The item on the block, a pack of cigarettes, is being offered to an audience of nervous teen bidders previously unaware of what’s actually on the line when they decide to smoke cigarettes. The work highlights how cigarette cravings from withdrawal can lead to anxiety, exacerbating an already prominent problem among teens in the US.

“Gen z is very willing to engage in conversations about their mental health, so to introduce them to the science about nicotine withdrawal, cigarette cravings, and anxiety is likely to resonate with them in a meaningful way. We’re really excited about the compelling nature of the work and look forward to continuing the dialogue,” said Kathy Crosby, director of the Centre for Tobacco Products’ Office of Health Communication and Education.

A second spot, 'Said Every Smoker Ever,' focuses on nicotine addiction as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl trying to rationalise how she will avoid becoming addicted to cigarettes. Believing her addiction is different from that of the elders who surround her, she is met with the harsh reality that the mental and physical effects of nicotine addiction have destined her for the same fate. 

“Most young smokers live with the illusion that they can smoke casually and remain immune to the risks of nicotine addiction,” said Gary Resch, executive creative director at FCB NY. “This campaign flips that illusion into disillusionment by using the regretful voices of older smokers who were similarly in denial when they themselves were teens.”

Launched in 2014, The Real Cost successfully prevented nearly 587,000 youths ages 11 to 19 from smoking cigarettes in its first two years. In 2018, the program expanded its focus, prompted by a dramatic rise in vaping - e-cigarette use increased from 1.5% in 2011 to 20.8% in 2018 among high school students. FCB NY launched the agency’s first vaping education campaign that same year. The Real Cost strategically targets teens, using popular passion points and preferred platforms to deliver powerful messages about the risks of vaping.