DES MOINES — The American Advertising Federation has given its top award, a Gold ADDY, to What Town is Next, a multi-media campaign developed by ZLRIGNITION for the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control and its teen-led tobacco counter-marketing organization, Just Eliminate Lies (JEL).

The What Town is Next Campaign drew attention to daily death toll from tobacco use in the U.S. by comparing the death toll to the loss of an entire town of 1,200 people every day. The winning campaign combined the use of social media strategies including video on YouTube and blog posts with outdoor advertising, street marketing, outdoor, newspaper and television advertising, as well as public relations. The TV spots showed icons in small towns that were suddenly deserted.

The campaign, which earned Best of Class honors at the local ADDY competition and a regional gold, was one of 50,000 entries in the national ADDY competition and among only 100 that were selected for a Gold ADDY Award.

“This campaign delivered a compelling message to teens about the dangers of tobacco use and served up a powerful case for teens to resist pressure to smoke,” says Bonnie Mapes, administrator of the IDPH Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Division.

“The fact that our work has been judged to be among the country’s best communications is a source of pride, but even more rewarding is the fact that our work has contributed to a 33 percent reduction in teen smoking,” adds Louis Laurent, president and CEO of ZLRIGNITION.

JEL activities and other tobacco use prevention and control activities are funded by the State of Iowa from the Master Settlement Agreement with the tobacco industry, and are administered by the Iowa Department of Public Health.

ZLRIGNITION is a full-service marketing communications agency with offices in Des Moines and Kansas City. The agency provides a wide range of information-based marketing creative, media, interactive and public relations services to national, regional and local clients.

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