Sukle awarded multi-year contract to lead Colorado tobacco & nicotine education and prevention campaigns

Sukle has been awarded a comprehensive marketing contract for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) state tobacco education and prevention program (STEPP).

Under the contract, Sukle will develop and support education, prevention and cessation efforts across Colorado that meet the rapidly evolving threat environment posed by nicotine products—one in which use of combustible cigarettes continues to decline steadily, while newer delivery methods like vaping, nicotine pouches, and other emerging products are on the rise, particularly among Gen Z.

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A core component of this new partnership will be for CDPHE and Sukle to deliver on Colorado’s commitment to reaching priority populations that data show are disproportionately impacted by tobacco and nicotine use, including youth and Black, Native American, and LGBTQ+ communities.

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For decades, tobacco education campaigns relied on a familiar playbook: expose Big Tobacco deception, dramatize health consequences, and drive social disapproval. While those approaches helped to dramatically reduce cigarette smoking, the threat has shifted to the growing normalization of alternative nicotine products like pouches and vapes. These products are often perceived as less harmful, more discreet, cleaner, even “wellness” adjacent—making traditional fear-based or abstinence-only messaging far less effective.

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“The industry has successfully rebranded nicotine as a 'tobacco-free’ lifestyle accessory for youth (vapes and pouches), a ‘performance booster,’ even a 'coping tool' for stress," said Mike Sukle, Founder and Chief Creative Officer. “We’re facing an evolved marketing landscape on behalf of these targeted populations, and that requires a completely different creative approach. By partnering with CDPHE on this important work, we truly have a chance to save lives and make the choice to live nicotine-free the most compelling option on the table."

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The new creative work is planned to be in market this summer.