The Vaping Problem
In 2024, vaping began surfacing in schools across Singapore. Disguised in bright colours, fun flavours, and amplified by social media, it didn’t feel dangerous and was fast becoming a trend among the youths. Vapes are also often marketed like toys, colourful, desirable, and easy to collect.
Our task was to break that illusion of vapes being fun and harmless, and show youths that it actually carries real, irreversible harm.
The Creative Idea
By tapping into the toy and collectible culture, we created a series of “toxic toys” with characters like Addicted Brain, Popcorn Lungs, and Diseased Heart. Designed to mimic blind box collectibles, we draw youths in with familiarity before revealing the real consequences of vaping.
This campaign was created before news emerged about substance abuse related vaping problems. Hence, the tone taken was not as heavy. We sought to gain awareness about vapes and their known harmful effects in 2024.
The Key Visuals
Traditional visuals for anti-smoking ads often resort to fear-mongering tactics. Youths these days have been desensitised by that style of ads, so we sought to speak their language.
These key visuals were designed to look like colourful and attractive toy packaging. We wanted to draw the audience in with bright colours before they realise these were anti-vape ads. This is akin to how vapes draw youths in with their trendy colours.
From Sketches to 3D
Working with 3D studio Wicked Pixels, we transformed these characters and designs we did from 2D into 3D. We made sure to include effects like Spot UV, scuffs, and spoofs of warning labels and stickers to mimic actual toy packaging often seen in stores.
The Film
Featuring a faceless livestream seller with an insidious vibe, the film highlights the problem of how vapes are often marketed as trendy, cool, and harmless. Teenagers are also peer-pressured into vaping to fit in.
15” Short Films
Instead of doing direct film cutdowns, we created x3 15sec films mimicking retro toy ads to shine the spotlight on the different harmful effects vaping can cause.
Leaning in to the collectible trope
Leaning in to the toy collectible trope, we also created physical blind boxes that included a vape 3D figurine, as well as information cards that mimicked pokemon cards to educate the recipient on the harms of vaping.
A Nationwide Awareness Campaign
We created unique assets at different touchpoints all around Singapore. From MRT platforms to buses, bus stop shelters, wallscapes, cinemas, lifts, and of course all the social media platforms.
Working on this campaign has been a dream-come-true as a creative / art director. I had the opportunity to design these different vape characters from scratch and we worked with a 3D production house to bring them to life. Seeing these characters in so many different forms all around Singapore, taking on the task to spread awareness about the harms of vaping has been meaningful.
An Art Director’s Dream
Awards:
2025 Gong Awards: Bronze - Physical Craft: Art Direction
2025 Gong Awards: Bronze - Best use of Integrated Print & Publishing-led Campaign
2026 Spikes Asia Awards: Shortlist - Health & Wellness: Awareness & Advocacy
Client: Health Promotion Board Singapore
Agency: TBWA Singapore
CCO: Pete Khoury
ECD: Loo Yong Ping
CD (Art): Germaine Chen
CD (Copy): Yuan Heng
Art: Shae Yue
Copy: Abi Capa, Tan Shi Wei
Film Production House: Smallshop
3D Studio: Wicked Pixels