DAVID WHITNEY
Creative Director
DAVID
WHITNEY
Creative Director
DAVID
WHITNEY
Creative Director
TAKING ON 'BIG VAPE'
In the late 90s, CPB’s Truth campaign revolutionized anti-smoking efforts by exposing Big Tobacco’s predatory youth marketing. When agency co-founder Alex Bogusky returned to the industry in 2018, he found history repeating itself—this time with vaping giant JUUL.
I partnered with Alex to expose the updated playbook. Together, we co-authored a New York Times editorial,
How Big Tobacco Got a New Generation Hooked, and launched a series of videos diving into their tactics.
The campaign galvanized the policymakers and the ad industry. Within months, JUUL pulled flavored pods from retail shelves, and a year later, they suspended all advertising.
TAKING ON 'BIG VAPE'
In the late 90s, CPB created the Truth campaign to curb teen smoking by exposing Big Tobacco's marketing geared toward youth. When agency co-founder Alex Bogusky returned to the ad industry in 2018, he another big Tobacco bone to pick -- JUUL. Once again, the tobacco industry was flooding the market with veiled tactics aimed at youth. Together with Alex, we worked to expose their playbook.
I helped write Alex’s New York Times editorial ‘How Big Tobacco Got a New Generation Hooked,’ and we launched a series of videos diving into their tactics.
I consider this one of the hardest and most rewarding projects of my career. Extensive fact-checking, rewrites and collaboration with the New York Times editorial board let to a widely praised piece. And the videos drummed up support and action from the ad industry, activists, and politicians.
In a matter of months after publication of the editorial, JUUL stopped selling flavored vapes in stores. And the next year, JUUL refrained from all youth advertising practices as part of a major settlement. I would like to think we had a small part in this movement.