“Little Lungs” is an animated pair of lungs eager to take on the world. But he smoked as a teenager and never grew to normal size. His limited air capacity always causes him to fail, leading to his “tragicomic” demise. Ultimately, “Little Lungs” is an endearing yet flawed character, one we become emotionally invested in, as we would any underdog, yet we know he will never come out on top. The result is a series of video content that’s as engaging as it is informative.

Little Lungs launched across various digital platforms on March 15, 2017. We’re engaging teens using tailored tactics (e.g., Facebook canvas, Instagram takeover) and unifying the campaign with the hashtag #LittleLungs, allowing teens to easily find additional content so they can dig deeper into the Little Lungs story. By using topical hashtags (e.g., #snowboard, #birthday), we’re also inserting our message in conversation threads relevant to our audience, spreading the story even further. We’re also working with teen-relevant influencers, such as popular WWE wrestling celebrities, to help communicate the Little Lungs story on other platforms.

Since launch (March 15, 2017) the Little Lungs content series has received over 10 million video views in just 3 weeks, surrounding our at-risk teen audience with tobacco prevention messaging. Also, the content series has been influential in the advertising trades, immediately making Ad of the Day in Adweek to Advertising Age in the U.S., and all the way to Australia.