#TobaccoExposed

Background

In the run up to World No Tobacco Day 2020, WHO commissioned Rooftop to run a digital campaign exposing the tobacco industry and the systematic, aggressive and manipulative tactics it uses to attract a new generation of users. With daring images, influencer marketing and a viral TikTok dance attracting over 21 million views, it was a campaign like never before – designed to engage and empower young people in the fight against Big Tobacco.

Challenge

The #TobaccoExposed campaign was the first WHO campaign to specifically target young people: for that reason, it required a fresh, radically different approach. The aim? To open young people’s minds to the methods used by tobacco companies to hook them with tobacco products, and empower influencers in pop culture, social media or in the classroom to engage young people on the subject.

Solution

The best campaigns will always be memorable, and at Rooftop we’re not afraid to rock the boat. Our video was designed to shock. Our visuals were provocative. And we combined them with our most innovative campaign yet – a multi-platform approach targeting young people’s most used social platforms, from TikTok to Tinder.

Influencer marketing played a key role in our campaign, because who is better to engage young people than their own peers? 10 influencers spread the #TobaccoExposed message in nine different languages – we didn’t just cover the topic, but we made sure engaging, relevant content was out there across six WHO regions. Their posts alone on generated 2.73 million video views and potentially reached 32.2 million people.

The Result

The campaign was radical, and we believe it delivered. But don’t just take our word for it. Here are some cold, hard facts.

On the day itself, the campaign had a potential reach of 2.4 billion people. 370 million people alone were reached through WHO’s own channels, giving WHO an 82% share of the voice. 121.7 million views were received on the campaign video. On Tinder the campaign reached 12.4 million people, with an engagement rate of 9.63 percent. In the weeks following the campaign, sentiment towards the campaign hashtag, #TobaccoExposed, was 98.5% positive.