At this year’s National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH), SE2, ADAPT, and The Montana Institute shared how social norms campaigns are transforming youth prevention efforts across the country. For decades, youth prevention campaigns have focused on warnings—“don’t smoke,” “just…

In volatile times, stories protect, connect, and keep culture alive This year’s Colorado Health Symposium, hosted by The Colorado Health Foundation, was more than a conference; it was a gathering of people working on the frontlines of health, equity, and…

When I started consulting in tobacco prevention nearly three decades ago, some of the anti-tobacco pioneers I came across seemed almost paranoid to me. It was like they saw Big Tobacco conspiracies everywhere they turned. Well, as the saying goes,…

Improve Readability and Visual Connection Most Americans read at a sixth-grade level (source)—yet too many marketing campaigns use language that’s overly complex. If a message takes too much effort to understand, people tune out. Plain, direct language always wins.  Start…

Big news—we’ve officially moved into our new office in The Sudler building, right in the heart of Denver! We’re now just a block from the State Capitol, surrounded by energy, history, and some of the best coffee in Denver. Why…

Sponsors love rainbows until doing real work gets involved. They slap logos on floats, pump cash into parades, and post glossy allyship on June 1. Then they vanish.  This year, corporate sponsors ghosted Pride events faster than a closeted politician…

Apple's earbuds came out with the iPod in 2001, but became iconic in the 2003 "silhouettes" ads—dancing shadows against bright backgrounds with white headphone cords. The message was clear: these little headphones connect you to music you love. Twenty years…

For months, I’d walk through my neighborhood, noticing the litter that collected along the sidewalks and in front of people’s homes. Candy wrappers, plastic bottles and cans, the occasional stray grocery bag—it was always there, and I always found myself wondering, Why doesn’t someone clean this up?

Six years ago, we met Angel Ramirez, a Denver mom determined to quit smoking. At the time, she was deep in the struggle, juggling life, stress, and the weight of an addiction she wanted to break. She let us into…

Words and images hold power, especially when they reach people in ways that make sense to them.   Too often, messaging and marketing get lost in translation—literally and figuratively. A word-for-word swap might capture meaning, but does it capture connection? Do…

For a while, Tumblr seemed like a ghost town.  After its heyday in the early 2010s, the platform faded into the background as Instagram, Twitter (now X), and TikTok took center stage.   But lately, Tumblr has been creeping back into…

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) isn’t just a trendy buzzword—it’s a critical driver of business success.  Yet, many companies today are backtracking on their commitments because of the current political climate.  This regression doesn’t just harm marginalized communities; it undercuts…