The Tobacco Industry has a lengthy history of reaching communities through sophisticated marketing tactics, including a heavy emphasis on menthol cigarette advertising. The impact has been devastating. To help address this issue, we worked hand-in-hand with our client Golin to create a campaign for Tobacco Free Florida called In the Cut. This ambitious initiative was designed to meet people where they are, in a place with real cultural impact, where they can have open and honest discussions about health consequences – the neighborhood barbershop.

We started by identifying barbershop owners with high respect and influence in communities that represented the population we hoped to reach. We chose a well-known, second-generation barbershop, Slice’s Classic Cutz, based in Liberty City, Miami, near the famous public housing complex dubbed ‘Pork and Beans.’ We produced a short film about the owner’s experience with tobacco, ultimately resulting in the loss of his father to lung cancer, caused by smoking. We also added messaging and education elements by recreating a barbershop and filming a panel of other business owners and health experts, moderated by photographer and author, Antonio Johnson who traveled across the country photographing barbershops for his book, You Next.