Rio turns fruity vapes into a rotten wake-up call
By James Herring on Tuesday, February 17, 2026
The Government of Rio de Janeiro has launched a stark anti-vaping campaign that counters the sweet appeal of e-cigarettes into a visceral warning about their health risks.
The minimalist print and OOH work subverts the “cool” image of vaping by transforming its trademark fruity flavours into symbols of health decay.
In a series of arresting visuals, lungs are depicted as rotting strawberries, mangoes and pears, each paired with hard-hitting references to diseases such as emphysema and cancer.
It is a smart, creative reframing that exposes the contradiction at the heart of flavoured e-cigarettes: products marketed as harmless treats that can carry serious health consequences.
The campaign titled ‘Vape’ was created by ad agency Propeg.
