FCB and FDA Launch 'Addiction Isn’t Pretty' Targeting Teens in the Battle against Vaping

FCB and FDA show just how far teens would go to vape in the newest evolution of 'The Real Cost' youth tobacco prevention campaign with a new creative launch titled 'Addiction Isn’t Pretty'. Teaming up with award-winning documentary filmmaker Katina Mercadante, the FCB New York campaign displays real-life situations surrounding teens who do whatever it takes to vape in a series of riveting commercials. As the stories shown are based on true events, Mercadante used non-actor teens to capture the true essence and authenticity of these crucial moments. 

While many teens are finally realising the true detriments of vaping and nicotine, over 27% of high school students were still using e-cigarettes in 2019. 'Addiction Isn’t Pretty', inspired by actual anecdotes pulled from social media, dives deep into the mindset of teens across the country and depicts 'the real cost' of vaping.

In one clip, two friends are gossiping in a bathroom stall, when the friend accidentally drops her vape in the toilet. She fishes it out and proceeds to use it, much to her friend’s disgust. Another segment features a real-life family, in which the teenaged son anxiously waits for the right moment to swipe money from his mother’s purse. He finally does, but not without escaping his younger brother’s gaze.

“What drug is so powerful that it can drive you to steal money from your loved ones? This is one of the questions that ‘The Real Cost’ is asking with this campaign,” said Gary Resch, FCB New York EVP, executive creative director. “While teenagers are starting to realise the risks of vaping in very stark terms, ‘Addiction Isn’t Pretty’ seeks to amplify this change in perception and drive more provocative conversation among these at-risk kids.”

'The Real Cost', first developed by FCB in 2014, has successfully prevented nearly 587,000 youth from smoking cigarettes. For each teen prevented from becoming a smoker, there is an estimated $180,000 in cost savings – a total of over $53 billion in future medical costs averted, to date. In 2018, FCB New York and FDA took on the challenge of launching the first national youth vaping education campaign to teach teens the 'real cost' of vaping.