Andrea Dickens Head of Policy and Development, Smokefree South West, Bristol
Abstract
The stark truth - smoking will kill one in two smokers
New campaign launched to stamp out ignorance surrounding the dangers of smoking
In February 2014, Smokefree South West launched a new heart wrenching campaign called ‘Be there tomorrow’ which urged smokers to quit for their family and loved ones.
The campaign was launched following the publication of shocking statistics which revealed that more than 9 in 10 people (90.7%) surveyed were not aware that half of all smokers will die early from the habit. The stark truth is that smoking will kill one in two smokers.
The campaign, which focuses on the emotional consequences of smoking, was tactically launched directly after Public Health England’s new health harms campaign which highlighted the physical harm of smoking. Evidence suggests that running these two types of campaigns closely together, stimulates mass population quit attempts.
The campaign was rigorously tested with both smokers and non-smokers, and ran across the South West as a heart wrenching TV advert (at 400 TVRs which is considered medium to high frequency), radio advert and outdoor poster campaign. Evaluation results to follow.
Source of funding: Local Authority funding through Public Health budgets.
