Independent agency Duncan Channon has rolled out “Big Tobacco’s Fantasyland” for the California Tobacco Prevention Program (CTPP). The anti-tobacco campaign is aimed at educating Californians on the harms of vaping, in addition to exposing Big Tobacco’s disinformation.
The tobacco industry kills 110 Californians each day, while 30 more people suffer from a tobacco-related disease, robbing Californians of their parents, siblings, neighbors, friends, and their own lives. But that hasn’t stopped Big Tobacco. They want to lead and profit off of solving the number one cause of preventable death and disease–the smoking epidemic they created. Their latest rebrand attempt includes selling dangerous, addictive vape products while still selling six trillion cigarettes each year, including launching new cigarettes in California.
The tobacco industry wants us to believe that vaping is safe, which is untrue. Many of the same health harms associated with cigarette use are now being linked to vape products, including an increased risk of lung cancer and stroke. Vaping also has a negative impact on mental health including amplifying anxiety, depression and mood swings.
Targeted towards those who have witnessed the harm of tobacco on society, alongside parents and young adults impacted by the youth vaping epidemic, the campaign features a series of ads, calling out the tobacco industry’s idea of a healthier tomorrow.
The work puts a spotlight on the industry’s lies and deceit, serving as a warning siren to the public to see beyond this new glossier, friendlier face the tobacco industry is trying to sell.
“In the TV ads the visual spaces are calm and serene at first glance. But it’s slowly revealed that this is really an illusion–a softly lit pastel-colored world that ultimately leads to isolation, addiction and disease. It’s a place where they want you to believe that everything is fine and the tobacco industry is your friend,” said Duncan Channon ECD Anne Elisco-Lemme.
The spots were produced by The Directors Bureau and directed by Emmanuel Adjei, an award-winning Ghanaian-Dutch filmmaker and visual artist.
This particular PSA takes us through “Fantasyland” and in the process dispels several of the myths created by Big Tobacco.
