As you’ll no doubt know today is World No Tobacco Day. Over the years Quit campaigns have won numerous awards, and with that in mind I thought some of you might be interested in taking a peak behind the scenes about what’s involved in a Quit Campaign. Online marketers, App Developers, Health Education professionals, smokers and anyone with an interest in marketing may find this useful.
The national campaign was launched in April this year. The campaign aims to reduce smoking rates from 15.9% to 10% by 2018.Ten percent, wow that’s low but then I guess we’re taking about 2.8 million Australians who smoke today (well not today because it’s World No Tobacco Day … day), and 15,500 deaths each year.
In order to achieve this target, the campaign focused on emphysema and the idea of suffering through this respiratory disease. This focus resulted in the tag line ‘Stop before the suffering starts’.
The usual media strategies were employed e.g. television, radio, in-venue, outdoor and online advertising.
This year the ads were more targeted towards: pregnant women; women thinking about becoming pregnant in the next 2 years; prisoners; people with mental illnesses; people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Looking beyond the media realm, the campaign employed the following strategies.
Butt Out At Work
A workplace initiative was developed which included posters and suggestions such as: placing dart boards or table tennis tables in areas where staff usually smoke; using money boxes to raise funds for a staff party or charity (with the company matching the dollars raised); encouraging people to go for a walk instead of a smoke break; and finding a quit buddy at work.
Other strategies were
The Quitline 137848
The world first plain packaging legislation
Putting smoking replacement therapies onto the PBS.
New Strategies
This year the campaign also introduced three new free online resources.
Quit Calculator
The user describes a savings goal they might have (e.g. a new motorbike), the calculator then works out the amount they currently spend on smoking, and the time it would take to reach the goal if they stopped smoking. For more information go to online-calculator or click on this calculator patch.
MyQuitBuddy app
This app is interactive. The user records their goals in pictures, words or audio messages. It gives quit tips, daily motivational messages, and a countdown to quitting reminders, along with a panic button that provides distractions from the cravings. Download this at itunes Android
Quit for you Quit for two
At present 13.5% of pregnant women in Australia smoke, higher in rural and remote areas. This app provides games and distractions to take their mind off the cravings, along with messages of support, and fun facts about their baby. Download this at Apple store Android
For more information go to Quit now
I’m always interested in the inner workings of how campaigns are set out. This time it was the inclusion of the ‘panic button’ that left me pondering.
Perhaps it was because I’d spent Sunday afternoon at Leon Pericles studio that was full of whimsical gadgets (more on that later), but I had visions of someone pressing the panic button and a huge metal arm protruding from the phone, at the end of which was a hammer, that pounded the cigarette into oblivion, or a water pistol, or large white gloved cartoon hand that crushed the cigarette and slapped the persons face until they came to their senses. The possibilities are endless. I live for the day that someone will invent an app like that, it’d come in very handy for my chocolate cravings.
To all the smokers out there I wish you strength in the pursuit of your goals,and remember … in twelve weeks your lungs regain the ability to clean themselves.
If you have any tips about quitting or health campaigns please send us a comment.
4 Comments
Having given up some time ago there was not all the support curently available.Then it was “cold turkey”
But waking up during the night short of breath and coughing was a good reason to keep trying.
The hardest times were after a fine meal with a coffee to close or socially with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
All the tryers out there need every bit of support we can provide. Good luck to them all.
When you succeed you’ll feel so much better. Fred,H
Congrat Fred on giving up and cold turkey wow that’s impressive
There are many ways to quit smoking, many campaign aims to reduce smoking rates. They focus on the tag line “stop before the suffering starts”, but quitting smoking is not an easy task. Electronic cigarettes are also the one of the best ways to quit smoking. I truly believe that electronic cigarettes are the best alternative. I hated the smoke produces by tobacco cigarettes but in electronic cigarettes it doesn’t produce any smoke or ash. It can be used in public places and apart from this available in different flavors and you can also buy best4ecigs-e cigarette starter kit online. Starter kit comes with a manual in which all rules and guidelines are written.
Thanks Marry I actually saw one of these the other day and they were really interesting. Thanks for letting me know