Tobacco-Free Kids' Ongoing Public Affairs Campaign Honored by the American Society of Association Executives

Washington, DC - The American Society of Association Executives’ (ASAE) 1998 Gold Circle Awards competition recently recognized the CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS with a certificate of achievement for its ongoing public affairs campaign, “Changing the Tobacco Environment in America.” The CAMPAIGN program was designed to raise awareness of the magnitude of youth tobacco use, increase public concern over the epidemic and expand the level of tobacco control activism throughout the United States. Much of the communications activities focused on pushing toward comprehensive national tobacco control legislation. The CAMPAIGN, along with its Washington, DC-based agency, Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates, implemented a strategic communications plan that resulted in greater public concern over tobacco and heightened awareness for the need for action to protect kids from tobacco’s deadly allure. “Smoking—the number one preventable cause of death in the nation has reached epidemic levels among youth,” said Bill Novelli, CAMPAIGN president. “This campaign underscores the need to educate the public on this issue and protect kids from tobacco.” Novelli, a pioneer in social marketing, is the co-founder and former president of Porter Novelli, the fourth largest public relations agency in the United States. The Gold Circle is a national awards competition that honors excellence in association publishing and public relations. In each award category, a Gold Circle trophy, Certificate of Acheivement, or Honorable Mention may be bestowed. Judges base their selections on substance, style, originality and achievement of objective. The 1998 competition drew nearly 800 entries in 22 categories, ranging from web sites to videos to newsletters. Other recent CAMPAIGN awards include: The Association for Women in Communications’ 1998 Clarion Award and the International Association of Business Communicators’ 1998 Silver Inkwell Award of Excellence, both for the public affairs campaign, “Changing the Tobacco Environment in America;” and the American Medical Association’s Crystal Medallion Award for Best Consumer Campaign for “Kick Butts Day 1997.” The Washington, DC-based CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS is the largest initiative ever undertaken to decrease youth tobacco use in the United States. Its mandate is to focus the nation’s attention and action on keeping tobacco marketing from seducing children and making tobacco less accessible to kids. The CAMPAIGN was founded in September, 1995. For more information on the CAMPAIGN, visit our web site at $1$2www.tobaccofreekids.org$3$4.