Modernizing Tobacco Prevention Messaging to Reach Youth and Families Statewide
Services: Campaign Strategy, Message Development, Event Advertising, Digital Advertising, Video Production, Graphic Design, Geo-Targeted Advertising, Analytics & Reporting
The Challenge
A statewide tobacco prevention program needed to expand the reach of its prevention messaging among South Carolina youth while keeping those messages relevant and visible in the places young people spend their time.
The challenge extended beyond simply increasing awareness. Prevention messaging needed to reach teens repeatedly across both physical and digital environments while also connecting them with resources such as Live Vape Free and the South Carolina Tobacco Quitline.
The Solution
Team EMILY developed an ongoing statewide awareness strategy combining high-profile event exposure, physical advertising, targeted digital campaigns, streaming media, and social advertising to reach youth and families across South Carolina.
South Carolina High School League championship events became an important component of the campaign, creating opportunities to place prevention messaging directly in front of students, parents, educators, and families. Team EMILY developed creative assets for in-venue, streaming, and mobile environments, allowing messaging to remain consistent while adapting to different audience touchpoints.
In 2026, the partnership expanded through a Spring Youth Tobacco Prevention Campaign targeting youth ages 13–18 with messaging focused on the risks of vaping and available cessation resources. Branded materials, including Live Vape Free stadium tote bags and rack cards, extended the campaign into physical spaces, while billboard placements near four major South Carolina high schools reinforced messaging in high-traffic youth areas.
Team EMILY also developed a geotargeted digital strategy around major youth-focused events, including Repticon, SC Comicon, Banzaicon, and the South Carolina vs. Clemson baseball weekend. Statewide OTT and streaming advertising extended the campaign into households with teens across platforms including Twitch, YouTube TV, Roku, and Spotify, while Snapchat advertising expanded reach among users ages 13–26.
Expanding the Partnership
What began as a prevention campaign has grown into an ongoing statewide partnership supporting broader tobacco prevention outreach efforts.
Team EMILY continues to provide campaign strategy, message development, video and digital advertising, graphic design, campaign execution, analytics, and reporting. This ongoing approach allows creative and media strategies to evolve as audience behaviors, prevention priorities, and opportunities for engagement change.
By combining event-based marketing with digital, streaming, and social campaigns, the partnership provides a flexible framework for reaching priority audiences across multiple environments rather than relying on a single communication channel.
The Impact
The 2026 Spring Youth Tobacco Prevention Campaign exceeded performance benchmarks across multiple channels, significantly expanding the visibility of tobacco prevention and cessation resources among South Carolina youth.
Geo-targeted event advertising generated 965,258 impressions and 890 clicks, exceeding estimated impressions by approximately 197%. Statewide OTT and streaming advertising generated 810,400 impressions, 257 clicks, and a 96.9% completion rate, demonstrating strong engagement with video messaging. Streaming audio performed particularly well, with Greenville-Spartanburg emerging as the top market.
Snapchat further expanded the campaign's reach among younger audiences, generating nearly 3 million impressions and 4,941 clicks, well above projections.
Together, these efforts created a coordinated statewide platform connecting high-attendance events, physical advertising, streaming, mobile, and social media. The campaign not only increased exposure to tobacco prevention messaging, but also provided a scalable approach for continuing to reach South Carolina youth with relevant, measurable, and evolving prevention communications.
