• by Tanya Gazdik , March 8, 2012

Shoe manufacturer Vans is teaming up with truth, a youth smoking prevention campaign, at the South by Southwest music festival.

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

Truth will bring its iconic orange truth truck, truth tour riders, and important life-saving messages to Austin, Texas. From March 9-17, 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.

The truth campaign 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. Truth spreads this message by connecting with teens' "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 -- which is popular in the skateboarding, surfing, urban and punk youth markets -- has been a partner with truth for more than a decade.

Along with other on-the-ground outreach efforts, truth will join Vans for three collaborations during SXSW. 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.    

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 sell 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.  

Vans also will screen 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.

Truth also will bring 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 who are not in Austin.