Truth told us they were planning on having 120 "Zombies" descend on a flagship Walgreens store in Washington DC in an orchestrated Zombie March Protest to pressure the store to remove all tobacco products from its shelves. Our immediate response was, "Yes! We are in!" The rawness of this guerrilla marketing stunt harkened back to a classic Truth commercial from the 2000s called "Body Bags," and we wanted this video piece to pay homage to that campaign. Blending raw documentary methods with carefully choreographed moments to showcase both the pre-planned horror aesthetic and spontaneous public reactions as zombies stormed the streets was the overarching direction. The final video asset generated substantial media coverage that snowballed across outlets, alongside gaining impressive organic viewership on social media. The result successfully pressured America's second-largest pharmacy chain into launching a tobacco-free pilot program across 17 Florida stores—a compelling visual testament to youth-powered advocacy challenging corporate hypocrisy and championing public health over profit.

TRUTH - zombie March

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW LIPTAK

Video assets strategically designed to amplify truth®'s "Not Happy or Healthy" message across social platforms

Content showcased visual storytelling that made the abstract concept of tobacco's deadly impact tangible and shareable

Video assets helped drive 9,000+ petition signatures and 122 calls to Walgreens HQ

Video content supported truth®'s larger advocacy strategy that ultimately led to Walgreens' pilot program removing tobacco from stores

Quick turnaround editing allowed for timely distribution ahead of the Walgreens shareholder meeting

Fortland produced impactful video content capturing truth®'s zombie-themed protest at Walgreens' DC flagship store

Fortland's team expertly filmed the live zombie protest, capturing both the striking visual contrast in the pharmacy setting and authentic public reactions.

Key Takeaways