“Using tobacco is bad for your social life.” That’s the message behind Seattle agency WongDoody’s “No Stank You” anti-tobacco campaign for the Washington State Department of Health.
“Teens today are well aware of the health effects of using tobacco “Our approach is to tell kids something different that has immediate resonance,” said Tracy Wong, WongDoody chairman and creative director, about why this yearlong effort eschews traditional anti-tobacco messaging focusing instead on the social and cosmetic consequences of smoking and tobacco use.
“The mission for the target, 12-14 teens, is to prevent them from starting. If they never start smoking, it solves a lot of problems immediately.”
Like the overall campaign The NoStankYou.com Web site also takes a unique approach to anti-tobacco advocacy–it is home to the “No Stank You NOW” video log, an online news/entertainment show hosted by local teens, for teens, on the social risks of tobacco use. The vlog features interviews with peers, state officials, dentists, professional athletes and more.
For instance, one of the hosts goes on a shopping spree to show kids all the cool stuff she can buy for $6, the price of a pack of cigarettes. Or watch another host shed light on the statistic that 86 percent of teens prefer dating a nonsmoker. New vlog episodes, produced in-house, will be uploaded regularly.
“True engagement with the target comes on the Web. Not from TV. The Web is the only way we can deep dive with them on information, etc.,” said Wong. Designed by WONGDOODY’s interactive and technology development division, United^Future, the NoStankYou.com site is also filled with irreverent, interactive and portable content. Users are given code snippets for avatars, comment images, emotions and more, to post into blogs, MySpace and YouTube pages, personal Web sites and mp3 players. A news fact page offers rotating factoids and articles about tobacco use.
“The campaign’s online component is truly exciting in the anti-tobacco advocacy arena, a category that is already recognized for its creativity,” said Wong. “By arming teens with tools to disseminate humorous content in various ways, they become advocates of the anti-tobacco message.”
The campaign also consists of television commercials, radio and online ads–including seven TV spots directed by Geordie Stephens of bicoastal Tool of North America.
Director Dag Johan Haugerud’s “Dreams (Sex Love)” Wins Top Prize At The Berlin Film Festival
A Norwegian film about love, desire and self-discovery won top honors at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday.
A jury headed by American director Todd Haynes awarded the Golden Bear trophy to "Dreams (Sex Love)" by director Dag Johan Haugerud.
Haynes called it a "meditation on love" that "cuts you to the quick with its keen intelligence."
The film focuses on a teenager played by Ella Øverbyer, infatuated with her female French teacher, and the reactions of her mother and grandmother when they discover her private writings. It's the third part of a trilogy Haugerud has completed in the past year. "Sex" premiered at Berlin in 2024, and "Love" was screened at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
The runner-up Silver Bear prize went to Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro's dystopian drama "The Blue Trail." Argentine director Ivan Fund's rural saga "The Message" won the third-place Jury Prize.
The best director prize went to Huo Meng for "Living the Land," set in fast-changing 1990s China.
Rose Byrne was named best performer for her role as an overwhelmed mother in the Mary Bronstein-directed "If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You." Andrew Scott won the supporting performer trophy for playing composer Richard Rodgers in Richard Linklater's "Blue Moon."
The climax of the festival known as the Berlinale came on the eve of Germany's parliamentary elections after a campaign dominated by migration and the economy.
The national election is being held seven months early, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition collapsed in a dispute about how to revitalize the country's economy.
Efforts to curb migration have emerged as a central issue in the campaign — along with the question of how to handle the... Read More