Case Study > Beating Big Tobacco in Marlboro Country
Enacting local smoke-free ordinances in Colorado
The Challenge:
Despite a growing body of evidence demonstrating the negative health effects of secondhand smoke, Big Tobacco and other industries aggressively fought against efforts to restrict smoking in bars and restaurants.
The Solution:
A statewide coalition of health groups engaged SE2 to provide strategic and media support for its efforts to pass smoke-free initiatives in a handful of Colorado communities with the expectation that these successes would tip the scales in favor of broad clean indoor air initiatives statewide.
The Result:
SE2 produced and executed focused media relations and advertising campaigns in Pueblo, Alamosa, Montrose, Fort Collins and Louisville to support the ordinances and to expose the tobacco industry's efforts to undermine clean indoor air initiatives. All of the ordinances passed, creating momentum that helped lead to successful statewide smoke-free legislation.