The campaign that tackled vaping, Truth Initiative and Mojo Supermarket’s “Depression Stick + Breath of Stress Air,” with contributing agencies Gale, Allegiance Group, and Crux Research, was awarded the Grand Effie at the 2023 Effie Awards US Gala, held last night in New York.   

The campaign took on the billion-dollar vaping industry and captured the attention of the hard- to-reach teen audience.   

The Effie jury concluded that the campaign effectively challenged an entire category, sparking anger towards vaping companies and inspiring young people to quit vaping by tapping into an insight about their mental health that resonated deeply: vaping can actually amplify the feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression that they’re trying to soothe. 

The Grand Effie Contenders (top scoring Gold Effie Award winners), alongside “Depression Stick + Breath of Stress Air”, were:   

- Alpha Foods & Mischief @ No Fixed Address for “Alpha Foods Class Action Lawsuit,” with No Fixed Address, Strike Anywhere, and Oso Audio 

 
- American Honda Motor Company/Acura & MullenLowe US for “Acura Type S Launch Campaign – Chiaki’s Journey” 
 

- The Kellogg Company/Cheez-It, Leo Burnett Chicago & Starcom Media for “Aged by Audio,” withPandora Media, Weber Shandwick, and Pilot44 Labs  

 
- The Kellogg Company/Froot Loops, Leo Burnett Chicago, and Starcom Worldwide for “Froot Loops World: From TV Ads to World-Building,” with SuperAwesome 

 
- Mars Wrigley North America/Skittles & DDB Chicago for “Apologize the Rainbow,” with MediaCom, Weber Shandwick, The Mars Agency, and Picrow 

 
- Riviana Foods/Mahatma and Carolina Brand Rice & Alma DDB for “Modern Rice Explorers,” with Spark Foundry and The Salmon Factor 

 
- Sanofi/Xyzal & PureRED for “Be Wise All, Take Xyzal at Night,” with Havas Media and Ipsos 

 
- Unilever/Vaseline & Edelman for “See My Skin,” with VisualDX, Mindshare, and HUED 

  
To view the full list of winners, click here.