DDB CREATES BC ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGN
By Adnews Staff
DDB Canada and its interactive division Tribal DDB have created an anti-smoking campaign for a group of organizations consisting of the BC Smokers' Helpline, Fraser Health, the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation and Vancouver Coastal Health. The campaign, aimed at young smokers in BC, includes print advertising and a Web site at <http://www.exhale.ca>, both of which promote the helpline as a place to get information about quitting. At the site, 14 people between the ages of 19 and 24 give their opinions on smoking. Visitors to the site can then comment on these opinion. "The overall aim is to have young smokers discuss what they think about smoking and open an exchange of ideas that might strike a chord within someone and bring them one step closer to quitting," said Bruce Sinclair, creative director at Tribal DDB. The print campaign, which broke this week, includes posters and cup sleeves in coffee shops and academic institutions. The posters depict messages about the pleasures of smoking handwritten across images of hospital equipment. The cup sleeve also carries handwritten messages such as "I love to smoke," "I love lighting a cigarette," and "I hate it when you tell me what to do." This phase of the initiative will run until February. "Our hope is this innovative concept will make a difference in the battle against smoking, by prompting young smokers to listen to the voices, connect with what they hear and think about quitting," said Geri Grigg, tobacco reduction coordinator at Fraser Health. The BC Smokers' Helpline is operated by the Canadian Cancer Society and funded by the BC Ministry of Health Planning. Financial support also came from Health Canada, the Tobacco Control Program and the Office of Mass Media.