Duncan Channon Calls Out Big Tobacco for Living in 'Fantasyland'

Independent full-service agency Duncan Channon unveiled work today for the California Tobacco Prevention Program (CTPP) titled ‘Big Tobacco’s Fantasyland,’ an anti-tobacco campaign 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 directed by Emmanuel Adjei, an award-winning Ghanaian-Dutch filmmaker and visual artist. Adjei’s work interrogates concepts of power, freedom, displacement, and inequality, told through his multi-layered dramatic narratives. He has collaborated with a variety of recording artists such as Beyoncé and Madonna and brands including Lancome, Tiffany & Co. and Hugo Boss.

“We were thrilled to work with Emmanuel on this project,” said Elisco-Lemme. “We chose him because of his ability to tell richly visual stories. Much of this comes from his work in the music world on projects like Beyoncé’s Black is King.”

“In the static work, we recreated the feeling of being a victim of the industry’s Fantasyland using fractured portraiture juxtaposed with serene color spaces," said Elisco-Lemme. "The harrowing images speak not only to the bodily harm that vaping causes, but also reflects the way Big Tobacco looks at human life -- as faceless customers."

“Without more public health education, Californians are susceptible to the tobacco industry’s disinformation campaign about vaping. Our goal is to help them understand that Big Tobacco is promoting a dangerous fantasy that is taking lives,” said Kumi Croom, Managing Director, Duncan Channon.

Croom added: “The industry is also targeting communities of color and LGBTQIA+, a frightening truth. We used care in our casting to be sure these populations are represented.”

The campaign has a comprehensive media program, designed to include diverse and multicultural audiences who suffer from Big Tobacco’s aggressive targeting resulting in tobacco-related disparities, including: LGBTQIA+, rural communities, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Asian and is trans adapted into six other languages to reach certain communities. The campaign is featured in linear TV, terrestrial radio, streaming audio/podcasts, digital OOH, traditional OOH (billboards, posters, transit, etc), print advertorials, digital video, programmatic display, paid social, native display, and native online articles. This will also include high impact OOH in units near several California landmarks including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sofi Stadium and Golden 1 Center.

Duncan Channon has been working with the CTPP since 2014. The team has helped drive breakthrough success in changing perceptions about vaping and the use of flavored tobacco among California’s residents. This campaign seeks to continue that mission.