Work

Animating anti-smoking

The spots are animated. The struggle is real. True tales of former smokers on the perilous path to quitting.

Thanks to our agency partners at Acento and APartnership for helping us create these engaging, inspiring spots in not just English, but Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese as well. And thanks to Adweek for their kind coverage.

The campaign hit especially close to home for the creative team, J. Moe and John Evans,  as both are former smokers. Here are each of their thoughts respectively:

“The heart of this idea came from conversations we’ve had with family and friends about our own struggles with trying to quit — both the vulnerable moments, as well as the humorous ones we can now look back on and find some joy in. This wasn’t about telling people what they already know — that they should quit — but rather telling them they aren’t alone.”

“Quitting nicotine is often seen as giving up a bad habit, when really, it’s an incredibly complex journey to overcome a powerful addiction. To nonsmokers and nonvapers alike, the solve is simply “saying no,” but to actual smokers and vapers, that’s not an achievable reality. Because quitting nicotine requires breaking a chain of addictive elements — physical, social and mental. And to succeed in doing so can take seemingly countless attempts. This work aims to tap into that unspoken truth and let people know that every attempt is an important step towards quitting for good.”

The campaign is currently live across the state. Watch for it on a TV or computer near you.