Smokefree South West Testimonial campaign
| Author(s)
Kate Knight, Laura Ridout, Andrea Dickens
| | Presenter(s) |
Kate Knight Deputy Director, Smokefree South West, Bristol |
Laura Ridout Stakeholder Engagement & Development Manager, Smokefree South West, Bristol | Abstract Smokers come face to face with the dismal future that could await them thanks to real life testimonial
A new social media and PR campaign launched by Smokefree South West has given smokers a reason to quit by seeing what life could be like if they continue with their habit.
Kirsty, 33 from Torbay is featured in the campaign through a series of short testimonial clips where she tells her heart wrenching story. At only 32 years of age, Kirsty’s lung collapsed and she was diagnosed with emphysema.
Through her emotional and frank testimonial, Kirsty talks about her day-to-day struggles where drying her hair, lifting food into her shopping basket, and walking short distances can leave her severely out of breath.
The short films confront smokers with their potential future if they don’t stop, think and take a positive step towards quitting today.
So far, the 8 films have had a huge impact, reaching 365 thousand people through social media with 60,000 viewing the videos and 697 commenting, sharing and liking the clips on Facebook. The campaign has also generated £195k or free PR reaching an audience of 18.5 million.
| Presenter biography Kate has over 10 years experience working at a senior level at both the Department of Health and the NHS.
In 2010, Kate took up the post of Head of Social Marketing and Communications at Smokefree South West and led the development of the first campaign in the UK to target hand rolling tobacco smokers.
Now Deputy Director (Marketing), Kate has recently led on a number of high profile projects including smokefree Millennium Square in Bristol, the first outdoor open space in the UK to have a voluntary smoking ban, and the standardisation of tobacco packaging.
| Source of funding: Local Authorities
| Declaration of interest: None
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