WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Zwinky®.com, one of the largest virtual communities on the Web and operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI), today announced a new strategic relationship with the truth®, the largest national youth smoking prevention campaign, designed to keep teens ages 12-17 from taking their first puff. The collaboration will feature three truth®-branded arcade games placed in Zwinky's virtual world, Zwinktopia. The games, designed to engage and entertain teens, each highlight startling facts about the health consequences of tobacco use and addiction.
The campaign, which runs through June 30, will incorporate games that offer hard-hitting information about the health effects, social costs and addictiveness of tobacco. These include:
"We are proud the truth® selected Zwinky.com as its exclusive virtual world partner for this important initiative," said Bill Maslyn, senior director of product management at Mindspark Interactive Network Inc., the company that owns Zwinky.com. "There are millions of open-minded, dynamic teens exploring Zwinktopia every day, and we welcome the chance to provide them with such an important and timely message."
Launched in 2005, Zwinky.com has evolved from a personalized avatar site to one of the largest teen virtual worlds, boasting 24 million registered users and 400,000 new registrations each month. Zwinktopia offers more than 50 virtual world destinations that focus on music, fashion and entertainment, and Zwinky itself was rated the number one teen community site according to comScore (February 2010).
"We are always looking for creative ways to reach out to youth, and with its vibrant community of teen users, Zwinky.com is a great platform to help us spread our message and help save teens' lives," said Eric Asche, Senior Vice President at Legacy, the national public health foundation which directs and funds the truth® campaign. "Our research shows that most smokers start smoking before the age of 18. As a result, early education and sharing information through teen-centered channels are critical in helping us reach teens. Gaming is a very popular pastime with teens, so working through Zwinktopia is another channel to reach teens successfully where they play and socialize."
The truth® campaign, first launched in February 2000 and celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, focuses on teens who are likely to smoke and need information most. The campaign has been lauded by leading federal and state public health officials, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and former President George H.W. Bush.
For more information, please visit Zwinky.com.
About Mindspark Interactive Network Inc.
Mindspark Interactive Network Inc., a wholly owned business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI ), is a leading developer of social networking applications, virtual worlds, and web portals that enable users to creatively and visually express themselves online. Mindspark brands include Zwinky® ZwinkyCuties™ Girlsense®, Smiley Central®, Webfetti™, IWON®, Popular Screensavers™, MyFunCards™, Cursor Mania™, as well as the Excite® portal.
About The truth® Campaign
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.
Legacy(SM) is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the national public health organization helps American live longer, healthier lives. Legacy develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation's programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as having contributed 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. The American Legacy 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. Visit www.legacyforhealth.org.
SOURCE Mindspark
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The campaign, which runs through June 30, will incorporate games that offer hard-hitting information about the health effects, social costs and addictiveness of tobacco. These include:
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- Fire Truck, which challenges players to extinguish fires caused by smoking-related materials
- Type or Die, where teens are met with the shocking realities behind tobacco-related deaths
- Addictor Click, which calls attention to the addictive nature of cigarettes
"We are proud the truth® selected Zwinky.com as its exclusive virtual world partner for this important initiative," said Bill Maslyn, senior director of product management at Mindspark Interactive Network Inc., the company that owns Zwinky.com. "There are millions of open-minded, dynamic teens exploring Zwinktopia every day, and we welcome the chance to provide them with such an important and timely message."
Launched in 2005, Zwinky.com has evolved from a personalized avatar site to one of the largest teen virtual worlds, boasting 24 million registered users and 400,000 new registrations each month. Zwinktopia offers more than 50 virtual world destinations that focus on music, fashion and entertainment, and Zwinky itself was rated the number one teen community site according to comScore (February 2010).
"We are always looking for creative ways to reach out to youth, and with its vibrant community of teen users, Zwinky.com is a great platform to help us spread our message and help save teens' lives," said Eric Asche, Senior Vice President at Legacy, the national public health foundation which directs and funds the truth® campaign. "Our research shows that most smokers start smoking before the age of 18. As a result, early education and sharing information through teen-centered channels are critical in helping us reach teens. Gaming is a very popular pastime with teens, so working through Zwinktopia is another channel to reach teens successfully where they play and socialize."
The truth® campaign, first launched in February 2000 and celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, focuses on teens who are likely to smoke and need information most. The campaign has been lauded by leading federal and state public health officials, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and former President George H.W. Bush.
For more information, please visit Zwinky.com.
About Mindspark Interactive Network Inc.
Mindspark Interactive Network Inc., a wholly owned business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI ), is a leading developer of social networking applications, virtual worlds, and web portals that enable users to creatively and visually express themselves online. Mindspark brands include Zwinky® ZwinkyCuties™ Girlsense®, Smiley Central®, Webfetti™, IWON®, Popular Screensavers™, MyFunCards™, Cursor Mania™, as well as the Excite® portal.
About The truth® Campaign
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.
Legacy(SM) is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the national public health organization helps American live longer, healthier lives. Legacy develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation's programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as having contributed 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. The American Legacy 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. Visit www.legacyforhealth.org.
SOURCE Mindspark
