• by Fern Siegel , September 14, 2023

Think vaping is better than smoking? Think again.

Duncan Channon's creative for the California Tobacco Prevention Program, "Big Tobacco’s Fantasyland," eviscerates this premise.

The anti-tobacco campaign educates residents on the harms of vaping, in addition to exposing Big Tobacco’s disinformation efforts.

The tobacco industry kills 110 Californians each day, while 30 more people suffer from a tobacco-related disease, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Rebranding concern as vaping is disingenuous and dangerous. Health risks associated with smoking, such as lung cancer and stroke, have also been linked to vaping.

The campaign features a series of ads, underscoring the industry's lies, as a warning to an unsuspecting public. It runs in linear TV, terrestrial radio, streaming audio/podcasts, digital OOH, traditional OOH, print, digital video, programmatic display, paid social, native display and native online articles.

High-impact OOH is placed near California landmarks, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sofi Stadium and Golden 1 Center.

"In the static work, we recreated the feeling of being a victim of the industry’s Fantasyland using fractured portraiture juxtaposed with serene color spaces," said Duncan Channon ECD Anne Elisco-Lemme. "The harrowing images speak not only to the bodily harm that vaping causes, but also reflects the way Big Tobacco looks at human life — as faceless customers."

The campaign has a comprehensive media program, designed to include diverse audiences who suffer tobacco-related disparities, including: LGBTQIA+, rural communities, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Asian.