The Challenge
For more than a decade, Colorado has worked to reduce the health and economic harms caused by tobacco and nicotine use. While progress has been made, particularly in reducing cigarette smoking, new challenges continue to emerge.
The tobacco landscape has evolved rapidly. Youth vaping surged. New nicotine products entered the market. Tobacco companies intensified marketing toward populations already facing health disparities. And many Coloradans—especially those experiencing economic stress, behavioral health challenges, or social marginalization—continued to rely on nicotine as a coping mechanism.
At the same time, tobacco control in Colorado relies on a complex ecosystem of partners. Local public health agencies, community organizations, schools, and advocacy groups all play critical roles in advancing prevention, cessation, and policy change. These partners need consistent, credible communications tools that can be adapted to their local communities.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s State Tobacco Education and Prevention Partnership (STEPP) needed a long-term communications partner who could:
- Educate Coloradans about the harms of tobacco and nicotine
- Encourage people who use nicotine to seek help and quit
- Support public understanding of tobacco control policies
- Provide communications technical assistance to a statewide network of grantees and partners
The work required more than advertising. It demanded sustained storytelling, culturally responsive messaging, and tools that could help communities lead change on their own terms.
Our Approach
For more than 12 years, SE2 has partnered with CDPHE to support tobacco prevention, cessation, and policy education across Colorado through an integrated communications strategy that combines statewide campaigns, digital platforms, community storytelling, and grantee support.
Statewide Advertising Campaigns
SE2 has developed and implemented research-informed social marketing campaigns designed to shift attitudes, increase awareness of tobacco harms, and encourage quitting.
Campaigns addressed a wide range of topics, including:
- Youth vaping prevention
- Secondhand smoke and vapor exposure
- Adult cessation and support resources
- Emerging nicotine products and industry tactics
Creative strategies focused on meeting people where they are—using digital, social, video, and traditional media channels to reach diverse audiences including youth, rural residents, Hispanic/Latino communities, Black Coloradans, Indigenous communities, and people experiencing behavioral health challenges.
These campaigns were grounded in behavioral science and informed by research on the motivations, stressors, and cultural contexts that shape nicotine use.
Storytelling that Humanizes Quitting
Recognizing that quitting nicotine is rarely a simple or linear journey, SE2 developed storytelling initiatives that centered real Coloradans and their experiences with nicotine use and recovery.
These efforts reframed quitting as human, complex, and possible, helping reduce stigma and encouraging people to seek support. Through documentary-style storytelling and community narratives, the work highlighted diverse voices and lived experiences across the state.
Stories were distributed through digital media, social platforms, partner networks, and campaign websites, helping audiences see themselves reflected in the path to quitting.
Policy Education and Public Awareness
Public understanding plays a critical role in advancing tobacco control policies. SE2 developed policy education campaigns and communications materials that helped communities understand issues such as:
- Smoke-free environments
- Tobacco industry marketing tactics
- Youth access and flavored products
- Secondhand smoke exposure
These resources translated complex policy issues into accessible, plain-language materials that could be used by community leaders, advocates, and public health partners.
By connecting policy changes to real-world health impacts, the communications helped build public support for tobacco control efforts across the state.
Grantee Communications Toolkits and Technical Assistance
A defining element of SE2’s work with CDPHE has been supporting the statewide network of STEPP grantees and partners. Over the course of the partnership, SE2 has developed customizable communications toolkits, templates, and training resources that local partners can adapt for their communities.
Support has included:
- Customizable campaign assets and messaging guides
- Earned media templates and outreach support
- Social media content and graphicsWebsite resources and digital assets
Digital Platforms and Resource Hubs
SE2 has also supported the development and ongoing management of key digital platforms that serve as the public-facing hub for tobacco prevention and cessation resources in Colorado. These include:
- TobaccoFreeCO.org
- ColoradoSinTabaco.org
- Social media channels and digital engagement platforms
These platforms provide accessible information about tobacco harms, quitting resources such as the Colorado QuitLine, and tools for community partners working on tobacco prevention.
The Impact
Over more than a decade of partnership, SE2’s work with CDPHE has helped build a sustained communications infrastructure supporting tobacco prevention, cessation, and policy change across Colorado.
Key outcomes include:
Statewide Reach and Awareness | Integrated advertising campaigns have reached millions of Coloradans across digital, broadcast, and community channels, helping increase awareness of tobacco harms and available cessation resources.
Support for Diverse Communities | Campaigns and outreach strategies were tailored to reach populations disproportionately affected by tobacco and nicotine use, including youth, rural residents, and historically marginalized communities.
Strengthened Local Capacity | Through communications toolkits, training, and technical assistance, SE2 has helped empower local public health agencies and community organizations to lead tobacco education efforts within their own communities.
Sustained Public Engagement | Digital platforms and storytelling initiatives have helped maintain ongoing public dialogue around tobacco harms, nicotine addiction, and the importance of prevention and cessation.
A Foundation for Long-Term Change | By combining statewide campaigns with local capacity building, this work has supported Colorado’s broader tobacco control goals—helping reduce tobacco use, shift social norms, and build healthier communities across the state.
