Extending the Message Beyond California

In 2008, a unique collaboration between the State of California and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) was developed to place anti-smoking ads on youth-rated movies released in DVD format. In 2011, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) joined the effort.

The six major motion-picture studios have signed on and have agreed to include anti-smoking ads in the opening minutes of new movies released on DVD which show tobacco use and are rated G, PG and PG-13, as well as some R-rated films. The ads were developed by the California Tobacco Control Program and can be viewed below.

The partnering motion-picture studios include:

• Paramount Pictures
• Sony Pictures
• Time Warner
• Twentieth Century Fox
• Universal Studios
• Walt Disney Studios

Displaying anti-smoking ads before movies which depict tobacco use not only enables California to extend the reach of its proven anti-tobacco messages, but also helps counter the glamorized tobacco use viewers see when watching the movie.

To date, the ads have been placed on DVDs of over 80 movies with over 115 million copies sold. The generous support from the EIF and the MPAA allows these ads to be placed at no cost to California taxpayers.

In addition, California's anti-tobacco efforts are highlighted in a special feature on the Season 3 DVD of the award-winning television series Mad Men from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The feature discusses how the tobacco industry has used advertising to promote tobacco products and how tobacco control efforts have evolved to counter the ongoing threat to the public's health.