Opportunity

Indiana hadn’t raised its tobacco tax—one of the lowest in the nation at $0.995 per pack—since 2007. A group of business and health leaders sought to educate policymakers and the public about the need to raise this tax as a means to reduce smoking rates and healthcare costs. The Indy Chamber enlisted Pen+Principle to develop messaging that would frame the debate and increase public support for raising cigarette taxes.

Approach

Past appeals focused on public health weren’t working, so Pen+Principle reframed the argument in terms of pocketbook issues instead. 

We developed five leading messages and tested them in a survey of 700 Hoosiers to identify the most persuasive: “Indiana Can’t Afford Tobacco.” We built out supporting message architecture, campaign content for a website and toolkit, an op-ed, and collateral—while also advising on media spend.

Results

Public and policymaker sentiment changed - enough to raise the tobacco tax.

In 2025, Indiana raised the tobacco tax by $2 per pack—a 200% increase on all tobacco products, which will yield nearly $500M dollars for the State. The campaign’s $220,000 media spend generated 43.2 million impressions, 94,500 clicks, and 12,600 page views.