BehindTheSmoke is part of the Stanford research group SRITA, which analyzes the effects of tobacco advertising, marketing, and promotion on specific populations. BehindTheSmoke particularly focuses on the effects of tobacco marketing on the youth population. This youth targeted program uses social media sites such as Tumblr, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr to educate the public on how the tobacco industry targets teens through manipulative advertising techniques. By showcasing print advertisements as well as commercials via various methods on social media sites BehindTheSmoke will not only educate youth, but also empower them to share their knowledge with peers. Comments and questions left by teens on the various social media sites will be used for future research and scholarship on tobacco marketing.

Our intent is to tell--principally through tobacco advertising images--the story of how tobacco companies have been deceptive, often patently false, and above all else, manipulative in an effort to market their products to the public.

We hope you will take away a clear message: Big Tobacco has been manipulating everyone, especially teens, forever. And they haven't stopped yet.

For more information on BehindTheSmoke, please visit www.behindthesmoke.com/.

Please visit tobacco.stanford.edu for an extensive collection of tobacco advertisements.

Feel free to follow us on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and check us out on YouTube.