— PROJECT NAME

Quit Your Confinement

— ROLE

Copywriting

— DATE

02/2023

The New Jersey Department of Health required a tactful concept for a smoking cessation campaign targeting Millennials – a demographic known

for its closet smokers and stigmatization of tobacco use.

This presented a unique challenge. Of the major approaches to cessation initiatives (humor, fear, and shame), research indicates fear- and shame-based concepts are more effective. Still, these techniques result in most smokers ignoring the ads. To convince even a minority of smokers to quit, a more nuanced approach was needed.

Our research showed that the most successful fear- or shame-based cessation campaigns temper depictions of smoking’s effects with messaging highlighting the

improved quality of life that comes with quitting.

As copywriter, I sought not to shame tobacco users but rather to tap into the sense of social isolation inherent in being a Millennial smoker. The resulting concept, designed by Lead Graphic Designer Harley Lake, presents smoking as a social barrier and quitting as the way forward.