Campaign

RIDE uses the same tactics as the tobacco industry to fight back against tobacco targeting of young people aged 14-29 yrs, particularly Asian Americans.

Specifically:

• build up supporters inside a popular culture phenomenon: RIDE has built up a network of young committed car enthusiasts, store owners, event managers and community workers who want to make a difference within the import scene;
• stop tobacco sampling at shows: RIDE has been stopping tobacco companies luring import car enthusiasts to give out their personal information by giving away free movie tickets, buying dinners, and handing out free cigarettes and promotional items at car shows;
• protect sponsorship opportunities from tobacco influence: RIDE is securing policies against receiving tobacco funds from car events, car teams, and other areas of influence such as magazines and car shops. As of 2008, RIDE has sponsored over 20 California car teams who have signed a pledge to fight the tobacco industry;
• use marketing efforts to change attitudes and awareness around smoking and secondhand smoke -especially in cars, homes, and car show venues.

The RIDE crew is made up of over 300+ volunteers from around California who have collected over 2000 first-of-its-kind needs assessment surveys, and distributed over 50,000 RIDE materials. The RIDE crew travels statewide with their modified cars and their message.

RIDE has directly reached over 150,000 people and spread the message to over 1,000,000 households through: -TV commercial broadcast during prime time MTV, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, and Spike TV, ESPN, and online sites such as MySpace, and YouTube.

• booths at all the major car shows including D1 Grand Prix, Hot Import Nights, DUB Show, and JDM Theory
• presentations at colleges, high schools, and middle schools
• presentations at Asian cultural events, youth groups, and trade schools
• Addy Award winning media campaign appearing on buses, in car magazines, and on radio.