The Truth Initiative has brought on Mojo Supermarket as its creative partner and agency-of-record, moving from 72andSunny, which held the account for seven years. The review was conducted by Pile and Co.
Truth wouldn’t reveal the other finalists, but they are believed to be MullenLowe and Mischief, among others. Mischief declined to comment. When asked for comment, MullenLowe had one response: “Don’t vape,” a MullenLowe spokeswoman told Ad Age.
"It's rare you get the opportunity to create work that literally saves lives, 72andSunny said in a statement. "For the past seven years, we were given that opportunity and could not be more proud to have worked alongside truth to help millions quit smoking, vaping and combat the opioid epidemic. We wish them the best as they continue to spread the truth and will continue to support and champion their mission."
According to Truth its national campaign has helped lower youth smoking rates from 23% in 2000 to 4.2% today and is looking to have the same success in preventing the youth from vaping and using e-cigarettes. That has been a focus for the longtime tobacco agitator since 2018, according to a statement last year by Robin Koval, CEO, and president of the Truth Initiative.
“Youth tobacco use is at its highest in nearly 20 years primarily driven by e-cigarettes, resulting in more than 5 million youth now vaping across America,” Koval, said in a statement reacting to a Truth Initiative study last year. “Increases in youth e-cigarette use, and vaping overall, are no surprise as we continue to learn more about how the tobacco industry, especially e-cigarette maker JUUL, targeted youth and society’s most vulnerable with clever marketing campaigns, a highly addictive formula, and youth-appealing flavors.”