Interactive, Film, Music and Life-Saving Messages: truth® and Vans® Team Up in Austin, TX

Events include live music, a movie premiere, custom gear giveaways, and robust online presence 

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- truth, the nation's largest youth smoking prevention campaign, is teaming up with longtime partner and top youth brand Vans to bring its iconic orange truth truck, truth tour riders, and important life-saving messages to Austin, TX during South by Southwest (SXSW). Over nine days, an on-site truth crew will meet with festivalgoers, give out specialty gear, sponsor musical performances, and share festival experiences through videos and social media.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101101/DC86294LOGO)

The truth campaign is the nation's largest youth smoking prevention campaign. It exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking - allowing teens to make informed choices about tobacco use by giving them the facts about the industry and its products. The campaign engages teens by exposing Big Tobacco's marketing and manufacturing practices, as well as highlighting the toll of tobacco in relevant and innovative ways. truth spreads this message by connecting with teen's "passion points," including music, games, fashion and film.

Each summer, the truth campaign travels with the Vans Warped Tour, reaching thousands of teens and educating them about tobacco use through Vans' popular summer music festival. Vans, the iconic shoe manufacturer in the skateboarding, surfing, urban and punk youth markets, has been a partner with truth in this effort for more than a decade. Having a presence during the SXSW Festival – the crossroads of new ideas and entertainment mediums that resonate with youth - is a natural alignment for both truth and Vans.  

"Music, film, and the Internet are key channels and mediums through which teens consume messages, and engage with others," said Cheryl Healton, President & Chief Executive Officer of Legacy®, the national public health foundation that directs and funds the truth campaign. "truth is focused on bringing its message to teens where they naturally congregate, including concerts, movies, and popular online social sites. We are excited to team up with Vans, our longtime partners through the Vans Warped Tour, during SXSW to create unique and exciting events and experiences for festivalgoers that will allow us to reach influencers and key tastemakers in industries where truth already has a presence and hopes to increase its presence even more." 

Along with other on-the-ground outreach efforts, truth will be joining Vans for three collaborations during SXSW, starting Friday, March 9th and going through Saturday, March 17th. truth will be featured at the Vans Pop-Up  Shop – Vulcanized Vinyl and after-party where truth-branded 'gear' will be distributed and visitors can buy Vans merchandise; the SXSW Vans Music Showcase; and the "No Room for Rockstars" movie premiere and after-party focusing on the Vans Warped Tour.    

"We're pleased to expand our relationship with the truth campaign beyond our longtime partnership on the Vans Warped Tour," said Doug Palladini, Vice President, Marketing at Vans.  "Vans carries an uncommonly strong bond with young people and we're excited to share the unique platform of retail, events and social media we have at SXSW to help spread the truth campaign's life-saving messages."

truth Events during South by Southwest

Pop-up Store:
To coincide with SXSW's music focus, Vans has created a pop-up merchandise store designed as an old-time record shop, called "Vulcanized Vinyl." truth will have a presence throughout the store with posters, record cover artwork, and t-shirts. Vans will be selling limited-edition reissued band shoes such as Iron Maiden Slip-ons, Slayer Old Skools, Descendents Authentics, as well as Bad Religion and Social Distortion pairs. An opening party will feature the truth tour riders giving away truth-branded guitar picks and USB drives with music from bands that have been featured on the Vans Warped Tour, including Bad Religion, Social Distortion, The Descendents, and Pennywise.  A truth-themed photo booth will allow visitors to take branded snaps.  

Pop-up Store:
Dates: Friday, March 9th – Sunday, March 18th
Location: 313 1/2 East 6th St. Austin, TX
Times: 12:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Opening Night Party: 
Location: The Lodge, 411 East 6th St.  Austin, TX
Date: Friday, March 9th
Time: 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

The Showcase:
The Showcase is a live outdoor concert sponsored by Vans and truth, featuring performances by Jimmy Cliff, FIDLAR, The Sword, and Pennywise. truth tour riders at the show will be giving away truth gear as well as interviewing the bands for video segments on thetruth.com.

Date: Wednesday, March 14th
Location: Red River and East 6th St. Austin, TX  
Time: 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.  

Movie Premiere:
Vans will be screening its documentary film No Room for Rockstars, which documents the 2010 Vans Warped Tour and gives a behind the scenes view of life on the road with Warped. Prior to the screening, attendees will view a mixture of music, Warped Tour, and truth trivia as well as a special teaser video for truth's next mobile game, Flavor Monsters. The truth truck and crew will be at the premiere, complete with a DJ, DIY screen printing, and giveaways. A special VIP truth room will feature a popcorn machine, photo booth, and screen-printed t-shirts. The screen print machine will print different colored truth records that are featured at the pop-up store. truth will offer 20 VIP seats for the movie screening for teens attending the premiere. truth tour riders at the show will be giving away truth gear as well as interviewing the bands Forever Came Calling, featured in the film, and Pennywise for video segments on thetruth.com. Both bands will be playing at the movie premiere after-party.

Date: Tuesday, March 13th
Location:  1100 East 5th St. Austin, TX
Time: Doors open from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
http://noroomforrockstars.com/

Welcome to Roqlandia
"Welcome to Roqlandia" is a Latin rock festival sponsored by Austin advertising agency GSD&M. The event features live music as well as free food and drinks. The truth truck and tour riders will be at the event along with the screen print t-shirt machine. Dance contests, trivia games, and giveaways will be happening in the truth zone during the event.

Date: Thursday, March 15th   
Location:  828 W 6th St Austin, TX
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Underdog Stage:
truth and Vans are sponsoring an Underdog Stage featuring up-and-coming performers during SXSW. The truth-themed stage will literally travel around searching for people performing on the street, and then sponsor them for a one-song performance. These performances will be showcased on thetruth.com.

INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS:

Online:
truth will be bringing the SXSW experience to all of its followers online. thetruth.com will highlight videos, photos and tweets from the crew to teens across the country – providing a 'virtual festival visit' for teens that are not in Austin.  truth will also be offering:

• a live event webcast hosted by Vans will be available on thetruth.com during the Film Premiere Afterparty [3/13; 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.] and Showcase [3/14; 7:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.]
• Interviews with bands at the truth truck 
• Performance videos from the Underdog Stage
• Social media posts including updates from Austin, TX via facebook.com/truthorange and on Twitter @truthorange

Gear:
Every year on the Vans Warped Tour, truth distributes thousands of pieces of gear - all with a tobacco-related facts. truth will be producing special gear designed for the Vans partnership, including:

• Rubber wristband-style and wood USBs with music, including cuts by Bad Religion, Pennywise, Social Distortion, and The Descendents.
• truth-branded guitar picks
• truth t-shirts – the screen-printed t-shirts feature colored LPs with text reading: From the files of Big Tobacco. Now on the record. thetruth.com. Other t-shirts will offer tobacco-related facts and related visuals in multiple colors.

About the truth® campaign and Legacy

truth, launched in February 2000, is the largest national youth smoking prevention campaign and the only national campaign not directed by the tobacco industry. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking. truth allows teens to make informed choices about tobacco use by giving them the facts about the industry and its products.

Follow us on Twitter @truthpr

Legacy helps people live longer, healthier lives by building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Legacy's proven-effective and nationally recognized public education programs include truth®, the national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EX®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; and research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. To learn more about Legacy's life-saving programs, visit www.LegacyForHealth.org.

Follow us on Twitter @legacyforhealth and Facebook www.Facebook.com/Legacy.

About Vans

Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel company, is a brand of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC).  Vans collections include authentic footwear, apparel and accessories, snowboard boots and the Pro-tec line of protective gear and are sold in the United States through more than 260 company owned stores as well as independent retailers. Internationally, Vans sells its goods in approximately 170 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and foreign offices. Vans promotes action sports lifestyle and youth culture through support of athletes on boards and bikes all over the globe and through progressive events such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing®, the Vans Downtown Showdown, the Pro-tec Pool Party and the Vans Warped Tour®.

For more information on Vans, please visit www.vans.com.

Follow us on Twitter @vans_66 and Facebook www.Facebook.com/Vans.

SOURCE Legacy