Tobacco Control and Prevention Program Media Campaigns

Love Your Lungs COVID/Cessation Campaign

The “Love Your Lungs” campaign was created after learning that smokers are at a greater risk of suffering from severe COVID-19 infections than nonsmokers. The campaign approach pushed a sense of urgency to attempt to quit smoking as your lung health is important now more than ever as we learn the damaging effects of COVID-19 on your lungs. The campaign was extended into August to November 2020.

Never Stop Quitting Cessation Campaign

The “Never Stop Quitting” cessation campaign celebrates and encourages quit smoking attempts, to continue to quit smoking and keep trying until people can quit smoking successfully. Quit smoking isn’t an easy task and most often will take multiple attempts. This approach differs from other tobacco cessation campaigns as it’s bright and uplifting compared to other hard-hitting ads that show the struggle and suffering that comes with smoking. The Never Stop Quitting concepts were tailored to the acknowledgment/awareness days for tobacco throughout the 2020-2021 year such as the Great American Smokeout, New Year's where most people resolve to quit smoking, Kick Butts Day, and World No Tobacco Day.

Menthol Cessation Campaign

The tobacco industry has long targeted African American and Latino communities with aggressive marketing tactics to promote menthol in these communities, in addition to the youth and LGBTQ. The “Be Done with Menthol” campaign was guided by an African American media consulting firm, Young Communications, to reach African American menthol smokers. The industry uses tactics of glamour and youth to make smoking look trendy and cool. Our approach utilized some of their tactics to raise awareness on the dangers of menthol. Menthol tobacco cigarettes can be more addictive than traditional cigarettes as menthol creates a cooling, minty effect to make smoking cigarettes less harsh on your throat and easier to start smoking.

Let the Smoke Clear Anti-Vaping Campaign

The “Let the Smoke Clear” vaping cessation campaign was developed in December 2019 due to the rising cases of EVALI among teens in the US. The goal of the campaign was to address the uncertainty of vaping and its long-term health effects, especially for teens. The campaign had various extensions from inception. During the 2020-2021 term, the campaign ran from mid-August to September 2020 and then again for “Take Down Tobacco Day” formerly known as “Kick Butts Day”, an awareness day on April 1, 2021, where teens raise awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco. The campaign ran for 2 weeks leading up to Kick Butts Day. After multiple media runs, we learned digital, social media, and gaming platforms worked best to reach teens ages 13-18. During the pandemic, kids remained at home and were likely spending more time on their phones and gaming devices.