ANTI SMOKING EDUCATION

Since 1994, GEOVISION has produced numerous campaigns for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's world-renowned Tobacco Education Media Campaign – with a particular emphasis on messages for the Latino, African-American and Portuguese-speaking communities. The scope of work included qualitative research, creative development, TV and radio spot production, print production, public relations and media buying. The issues covered included anti-industry, second hand smoke, smoking cessation and smoking consequences, targeting youth and adults.

Our priority has always been to use culturally appropriate stories. We have often presented real people stories to “personalize the risk,” as the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program director Greg Connolly says.

Over the history of the campaign we produced 20 TV spots and numerous radio spots. This work has won a number of awards, including two New England EMMYs for Outstanding Public Service Campaign in 1999 and 2000 and a national Gabriel award.

Most recently, the New York City Department of Public Health aired several of GEOVISION's TV and radio spots and subsequently received nearly 15,000 calls for quit-smoking services - more than triple the amount received during the same time period in 2005! The power of the personal stories portrayed in the spots led several major New York media outlets, including ABC's Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, and the New York Daily News, to cover the campaign's effectiveness in persuading New Yorkers to quit.