Vaping is so NOT Hot

One in five teenagers in Kentucky use e-cigarette devices, twice the national average. Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness knew a change was needed. Louisville’s leading PR firm, C2 Strategic Communications, reached out to us in partnership to build a campaign to combat the situation. Our campaign focuses on the social harms of vaping rather than physical danger.

Background Research

In 2021, over 20% of high school students hit a vape in the last 30 days, which has only increased since then. A nicotine addiction makes users want to quit, struggle to quit, and lack success in quitting. We needed to connect to teenagers, so we approached them in a tone that makes sense to them. Teenagers do not care about long term health effects; they care about fitting in. This led to the campaign, “Vaping is so NOT Hot.”

Design Choices

We created and delivered content of vaping being embarrassing and giving the “ick.” PSAs, posters, infographics, and collages were executed to visually appeal to teenagers. We worked to deliver a strong message while making a personal connection.

Delivered Media

Vaping leads to school bathroom gossip, special events being ruined, and friends leaving you out, all of which we showcased in our videos. The website Louderthansmoke.com gave our campaign a feature where users can find interactive activities, relatable content, true statistics, and resources to help them quit.

This campaign is powerful.

Results show it.

21,299 website sessions

28,111 impressions

27,000 reach

514 clicks

97% new website users

17,489 new users

22,108 sessions

22,938 page views

63,484 tracked events

55% new Louisville users

Summary

From start to finish, the message never changes: Vaping is so NOT hot. We delivered a message where it will hit the hardest: the teen ego. They already know vaping is unhealthy. We need them to know that vaping will make you lose friends, miss out on special events, and will have you seen in a negative light. The results show that this more insightful approach works.