The Best Work You May Never See: American Lung Association, Ad Council, Hill Holliday Inspire Parents To Talk To Their Kids About Vaping In Perlorian Brothers-Directed PSAs

According to the American Lung Association, 2.1 million kids use e-cigarettes and 4,000 kids start vaping every day. Despite the prevalence of youth vaping, many parents aren’t aware of the risks associated with e-cigarettes, such as, one vape can contain the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes, and nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm the developing brain and lead to a lifetime of addiction to tobacco products.

The American Lung Association and the Ad Council have thus launched a national campaign to help parents of kids 10-14 years old understand that they’re the best person to talk to their children about the dangers of vaping. The campaign includes “You’re The Best Person” creative assets in broadcast, radio, digital, social, out-of-home and print, developed pro bono by creative agency Hill Holliday.

The campaign includes two humorous public service films directed by the Perlorian Brothers via MJZ–including this one titled “Narrator”–in which health-related messages are made through old-fashioned means that don’t resonate with kids today. In the case of “Narrator,” the title character from yesteryear’s health class films appears in a youngster’s bedroom to talk about the perils of vaping, citing statistics and sharing other info. The kid doesn’t relate to the narrator, underscoring that the person most able to break through and start a meaningful conversation is mom or dad.

“Vaping is one of those issues that’s been normalized. We wanted to point out the real health risks of vaping and do so in a way that someone might even pay attention to,” said Dave Weist, chief creative officer at Hill Holliday. “Still, this campaign is directed to the parents. When it comes to having a conversation about vaping, don’t let someone else do that job. The best person to talk to your kid about vaping is you.”

The PSAs will appear nationwide in time and space donated by the media.

“Our ongoing partnership with the Lung Association continues to bring critical awareness to the youth vaping crisis nationwide,” said Heidi Arthur, chief campaign development officer at the Ad Council. “Using the power of humor and nostalgia, our latest work reminds parents everywhere that no one can connect with their child like they can – especially when it comes to talking about the dangers of e-cigarettes.”

The campaign encourages parents to visit TalkAboutVaping.org for resources to help them speak to their kids about vaping, including a “Get the Facts” page and step-by-step conversation guide.

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Hill Holliday Promotes Dave Weist To Chief Creative Officer

Dave Weist has been named chief creative officer at integrated strategy, creative and media agency Hill Holliday. Weist was promoted from EVP, head of brand.

Prior to joining Hill Holliday earlier this year, Weist was at MullenLowe, where he was ECD of the Boston and New York offices. He opened New York from scratch and helped grow that into a 180-person full-service global offering.

Aside from being a proven creative leader, Weist is all about the team. He loves partnering with all agency disciplines, clients and of course creatives. His teams have won every major international creative award many times over as well as the Grand Effie and three Gold Effies for the most effective campaigns in the world as measured over a five-year period.

“This is any creative person’s dream job,” said Weist. “Hill Holliday is a 56-year-old start-up. A place that’s as much of an evolving idea as it is an institution, the agency is filled with people who have an ambition that leads to the next great opportunity. I’m excited to work with Chris [Wallrapp, CEO] and the team and to be part of that growth.”

At MullenLowe, Weist shaped brands like JetBlue, Royal Caribbean, E-TRADE, Acura, Google, American Greetings, Hyatt, US Cellular, Burger King, KFC and many more. Prior to MullenLowe, Weist was creative director at Modernista, building brands like Cadillac, HUMMER, TIAA and (red). Before that he was a writer at Arnold Worldwide, where he started his career on Volkswagen, winning the Cannes Grand Prix and collaborating with Steve Jobs on the Apple co-branding effort, pods unite.

“Personally, I worked with Dave at Modernista,” said Wallrapp. ”I’ve seen firsthand what we can accomplish creatively, as well as the way he leads clients and his teams. His motto has always been if you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go far, go together–and I can’t think of a more perfect motto for us at this point in time.”

Weist is upped to CCO at a time of great momentum for Hill Holliday, which was acquired by the Attivo Group earlier this year. Recently the agency was selected by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism to create its new tourism campaign highlighting the history, attractions, unique culture, and vibrant businesses of its home state.

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