Case Study: How a State Agency's Anti-Smoking Campaign Effectively Reached Teens via the Web, TV and Live Events

Company: Colorado State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership (STEPP), a division of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
Contact: Jodi Kopke, STEPP Media Director
Location: Denver, Colorado
Industry: Nonprofit/Government
Annual revenue: Confidential
Number of employees: 17

Quick Read:

With the National Conference on Tobacco or Health taking place Oct. 24-26 in Minneapolis, innovative anti-smoking campaigns have been in the spotlight. (The conference aims to help improve the effectiveness of tobacco control programs in the US.) One of the more successful programs has been the "Own Your C" campaign commissioned by the Colorado State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership (STEPP). By teaming with a Denver marketing firm, STEPP has leveraged teen empowerment as an effective strategy for connecting with 12-18-year-olds, a demographic often inundated with marketing hype.

The campaign—which includes an interactive Web site, television ads, school and community events, promotional T-shirts. and more—encourages teens to "own their choices" and arms them with the knowledge to make informed decisions about several topics, with a distinct focus on tobacco use. This declaration of independence, combined with a slew of teen-oriented features such as quirky videos, music downloads, and video games, has helped Colorado achieve its goal of reducing the youth tobacco use rate to below 16% some three years ahead of schedule.

The Challenge: