The ‘Ex-smokers are unstoppable’ campaign is the biggest anti-tobacco campaign the European Commission has ever done. Every year, 650,000 Europeans die prematurely as the result of tobacco use. So, it is time to significantly reduce that number. Unlike other anti-tobacco campaigns, we are not highlighting the dangers of smoking, but rather are focusing on celebrating the benefits of life as an ex-smoker. This is because everyone who quits smoking starts a new life: They feel stronger, are more confident, and can make plans for a new, richer and healthier life. We are not only promoting the mental, physical and financial benefits but we are helping people to quit by offering them the iCoach, a free and highly effective online health-coaching programme. Consequently, we are literally creating thousands of unstoppable ex-smokers.

The ‘Ex-smokers are unstoppable’- campaign is a positive anti-tobacco campaign that focuses on communicating the benefits of life as an ex-smoker. Given that our audience lives in a social world, we found our ideal campaign home in Facebook. Twenty-nine ‘Unstoppable’ Facebook pages were created, which have grown into a self-sustaining community powered by its fans, whose interest is to help each other and themselves. But a smoker needs more than the good intentions of their nearest and dearest. So, at the heart of this Facebook home we have embedded the iCoach – an online app scientifically proven to increase smoking cessation, by taking smokers through a five-stage process and providing them with motivation, practical advice, and daily tips to help them stay on course. Media such as TV, print and online in all 27 EU Member States are creating awareness and redirecting traffic towards the iCoach and the Facebook community.

The design of the logo has proved successful across all markets because it works in every language without favouring any one nation. In fact, it has fitted into and worked in every channel. In total, this campaign has already reached more than 347m adult Europeans. An official post-test has shown that 32.2% of the campaign’s target group (European smokers between the age of 18 and 34 years) stated that they have seen at least one version of the campaign, which can definitely be partially attributed to the eye-catching and recognisable logo.