Every Breath – a campaign to show every cigarette is doing smokers damage and a return to health harm messages
Author(s)
Andy Lloyd
Presenter(s)
Martyn Willmore Performance Improvement Delivery Manager, Fresh Smoke Free North East, Chester Le Street
Abstract
With successful tobacco control programmes in Australia and the US increasingly focusing more on the health harms of smoking, Fresh commissioned research among smokers which found there is still low awareness of many aspects of smoking, and a clear role for harder hitting health messages alongside more positive messages around quitting support.
Fresh, supported by rock star Sting and the British Lung Foundation developed and implemented a high profile integrated TV, radio, poster and PR campaign entitled “Every Breath” to raise awareness of the link between smoking and COPD, the UK’s fifth biggest killer. This ran under a strapline of “every cigarette is doing you damage.”
The aims were to raise people’s concern levels about smoking and challenge many assumptions around smoking, that symptoms like shortness of breath are just a “normal part of being a smoker” rather than a sign of lung damage.
Fresh also worked with BLF Breatheasy groups and recruited a network of real life patients – many with moving and tragic stories - and doctors - to maximise PR messages, gaining headlines from around the world.
This presentation will explore the research, development and implementation of the campaign, with reactions from smokers and health professionals.
Source of funding: Fresh is commissioned by the 12 Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) in the North East
