News

The California Department of Public Health Selects Allison & Partners for Statewide Tobacco Control

Campaign will leverage public relations, grassroots and social media strategies to continue to change social norms surrounding tobacco use

San Francisco, CA, June 17, 2010 - The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has selected Allison & Partners as Agency of Record for public relations activities for its statewide anti-tobacco effort, the California Tobacco Control Program.

The goal of the public relations campaign is to change the broad social norms surrounding tobacco use by reaching not only the four million smokers in California, but the 32 million nonsmokers, and enlisting their help to create an environment in which tobacco use is less desirable, less acceptable and less accessible.

Allison & Partners was selected after a four-step competitive process based on their strategy, experience, team and integrated approach that will encourage tobacco cessation and provide overall education through many channels – creating new social norms via media relations, grassroots outreach, events, social media and consumer education about secondhand smoke, and the negative health effects, environmental and financial impacts of tobacco.

“We are very pleased that Allison & Partners is onboard and ready to help us advance the anti-tobacco issue,” said Colleen Stevens, chief of the program's media campaign.  “They share our passion on this issue and have a keen understanding of what it takes to bring awareness to a cause in this ever-competitive media landscape.  We are just thrilled to have them as part of our team.”

  “Allison & Partners is extremely proud to add the California Tobacco Control Program to its client roster,” said Scott Allison, President and CEO of Allison & Partners.  “Our team has a long history of executing effective programs that have improved the health and environment of individuals in California, and we are committed to helping CDPH reach out to the state's diverse groups to change behavior and attitudes,” he added.

While California has one of the lowest adult smoking rates in the United States, four million smokers remain in the state. The public relations campaign will assist in further reducing smoking rates among current smokers and encourage others not to start using tobacco, while keeping the issue of tobacco control relevant to the 86.7 percent of Californians who do not smoke.  The campaign will reach ethnic, rural, culturally diverse and low socio-economic markets throughout the state.

The term of the contract is three years. For more information about the California Tobacco Control Program, visit http://www.TobaccoFreeCA.com or http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/tobacco.