We created a new message in the “heard it all before” anti-smoking category: Embrace Failure. We welcomed the reality that attempts to quit smoking are likely to fail, but it’s okay – it’s how you quit. We took the pressure off by normalizing failure as part of the quitting process.

18-34-year-old smokers are hardly ever spotted out for a smoke without browsing their smartphones. For this reason, our communications strategy was primarily online with a strong mobile focus. To drive reach and frequency, digital video played a key role in getting our target’s attention and provided a thumb-stopping option while browsing. A mobile-optimized digital display was focused on media that was attractive to this younger audience to further drive relevant online reach. A buy across Facebook and Twitter ensured we had messaging on social, which is often the first thing they check while on their smoke break. This social strategy was reinforced with influencers who each generated multiple posts to engage our target in a meaningful and personal way. Lastly, we attained further reach by leveraging relevant outdoor space with static and digital posters placed on campuses and in resto-bars frequented by young smokers.

Impact on behavior (think seriously about quitting):

The campaign dramatically increased desire to make a quit attempt:

• 81% of smokers 18-34 who saw the campaign said that the advertising made them think

seriously about trying to quit smoking

• 83% said the campaign made them think differently about failure

• 87% said it made them understand that failure is a normal part of the quitting process

The campaign drove people to action

Visits and Time Spent on the Ministry of Health site dramatically increased:

• Consideration of the Ministry of Heath site for quitting resources grew from 12% to

28% following the campaign

• 69% who saw any ads during the campaign period were significantly more likely to

sought out information on quitting compared to 38% who did not see any ads,

• Time spent on the site was more than 3x above norm, at 6:06 vs 1:59 minutes