U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products
Leveraging partnerships to make a problem impossible to ignore
Year:
2019
Capabilities:
Digital Products.
Media.
Problem
Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., with 9 out of 10 smokers starting before they turn 18.
Insight
Gen Z smokers believe the consequences – what we call The Real Cost of tobacco – affect only older, lifelong smokers.
Strategy
The Real Cost aims to make teens hyper-conscious of the immediate risks of early tobacco experimentation and snap them out of their “cost-free” mentality.
Solution
Our solution was education disguised as entertainment, meeting Gen Z on their terms, on their platforms: an original Xbox game touted by the world’s most popular gaming influencer; a partnership with the X Games and WWE; an animated character on Adult Swim and their mobile properties; a growing catalogue of audaciously engaging horror and sci-fi TV films; a provocative dare involving search engines; and more.
92.1%
Awareness among target audience
$53B+
In savings to the U.S. healthcare system
587,000
Prevented youth from initiating smoking
3.7MM+
Monthly social media interactions
1.6MM+
Gameplays on Xbox with an average of 18 minutes per play