Vaping Is a 'Breath of Stress Air' in Campaign for Truth Initiative
Gen Z may feel an initial sense of calm when vaping, but spoiler alert: It's probably increasing a person's stress and anxiety.
Mojo Supermarket created Breath of Stress Air for Truth Initiative, hoping to debunk the idea that vaping is a calming, relaxing experience.
"Our goal is to out nicotine as a silent contributor to teen mental-health issues and get culture to call a vape what it is," says Jono Paull, group creative director at Mojo Supermarket. "In talking with our Gen Z panel, the biggest misconception we heard from them was that vaping is a stress reliever, when in fact nicotine increases stress levels. 'Breath of Stress Air' aims to bust that myth by subverting the wellness content Gen Z is actively seeking out each day."
A follow-up to last year's "Depression Stick" campaign, "Breath of Stress Air" uses calming imagery to illustrate the feeling teens believe vaping will deliver. It goes downhill real fast.
The spot "Glitch" begins with a shot of a waterfall, rainbow, vape pen and a voiceover encouraging listeners to breathe in. Before the user can exhale, there's a glitch in the system and the serene waterfall is covered by pop-ups of stressful events like a depleted bank account, rising student debt, a dumpster fire relationship and a downloaded song called "Nobody Likes You." "Vaping nicotine can actually increase feelings of stress and anxiety," says the voiceover.
Radio spots are equally savage, asking, "Is the algorithm suppressing my posts or am I just not that funny?" and "Can I ever be as cool as the person I pretend to be on Instagram?"
The campaign is running throughout March Madness on TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.
"We hope to provide young people with the reality of how vaping is truly making them feel, and to then make informed decisions and resources to quit," Paull tells Muse. "We've already seen this mental health approach resonating. In 2021, vaping among teens dropped 26 percent. We'd like to keep that momentum going."
