Tobacco Stops With Me (TSWM) is a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust aimed at reducing the impact of tobacco in Oklahoma through education and advocacy. TSWM created a campaign that highlights the dangers of secondhand smoke, particularly in multiunit housing. Residents of multiunit homes share up to 65% of the same air, meaning toxic chemicals from one person’s cigarette can drift into neighboring units through floorboards, outlets, windows, doors, vents, and light fixtures. Secondhand smoke causes health effects such as trouble breathing, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, reduced fertility and more. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are likely to experience a myriad of health complications and a much higher likelihood of becoming smokers as adults. In Oklahoma, where the adult smoking prevalence is the 13th worst in the nation at 15.6%, 8,400 kids try cigarettes for the first time each year. Many Oklahomans were unaware of how smoke can travel in apartments, putting themselves and their families at risk without realizing the full extent of the danger.
To address this issue, TSWM launched a multi-media campaign designed to educate Oklahomans about the risks of secondhand smoke exposure in multiunit housing. The campaign aimed to raise awareness and empower audiences to take action to protect their families. The measurable objectives set were: a 75% increase in website traffic, a 100% increase in website engagement sessions, 60% positive or neutral social media sentiment and 2,000,000 video completions within the 12 weeks following the launch of the Apartments campaign.
TSWM developed a multimedia campaign designed to educate Oklahomans on the dangers of secondhand smoke in multiunit housing and equip audiences to take action and protect their loved ones. TSWM created messaged across different marketing tactics such as, television, radio, billboards, print, organic social, TrueView video, Over The Top TV, paid social video, promoted posts and website click ads. Through captivating stop motion animation, this campaign educates and inspires action against the dangers of secondhand smoke. The television commercials and supporting assets show how smoke impacts everyone living in multiunit housing, including children and pets. By targeting property owners and residents, TSWM aims to raise awareness and educate Oklahomans of the harmful toxins and chemicals present in secondhand smoke.
While education and encouragement for action took place within the campaign’s creative assets, audiences were invited to learn more and explore relevant resources on the campaign’s online landing page. TSWM partnered with the American Lung Association to create resources. These included assets for audiences to spread awareness about this issue on their own channels such as prepared social posts, resources to promote advocacy against this issue, informative downloads and sticker decals, information about how to talk to a property owner about making a multiunit home smokefree, and education to share with decision makers. The overarching strategy of the Apartments campaign was to use emotional and compelling creative to highlight the dangers of secondhand smoke. TSWM aimed to offer resources and tools for advocacy, helping Oklahomans create safer environments for themselves and those around them.
After launching the Apartments campaign, it was quickly evident that the message resonated with audiences. Millions of Oklahomans across the state began to engage with Apartments advertisements, learn more and take action. Apartments initially ran for 12 weeks.
During that period, the brand’s website was flooded with visitors, experiencing a 197% increase in traffic (objective: 75% increase) and 311% increase in engaged sessions (objective: 100% increase) year over year. These visitors continued learning and took advantage of resources to make a difference in their own community. Apartments also struck up numerous healthy community conversations on social media, garnering hundreds of comments and 76% positive/neutral sentiment (objective: 60% positive/neutral). Apartments videos were watched to completion 3,218,064 times, surpassing the 2,000,000 objective set by 60%. Through all of this, the Apartments campaign increased awareness for this important issue and created advocates for a healthier Oklahoma.
