Small bars were the last obstacle in achieving a 100% smoke free hospitality business in The Netherlands. So the objective for the government was to create sympathy and understanding among guests and owners of small bars for the new and strict law that was enforced. The idea of the campaign was based on the insight that the small bars were the only places left that still have a layer of tar and nicotine on their walls and ceilings. So we decided to use that layer to communicate the dangers and statistics of smoking inside small bars.

We literally went out and visited several small bars in The Netherlands. Turning them into media channels as we 'cleaned' their walls and ceilings. At the same time the Dutch Minister of Health helped 'cleaning' the first small bar with a lot of press around. It was the kickstart of a very valuable PR strategy that got the campaign into many different media.

Small bars were the last obstacle in achieving a 100% smoke free hospitality business in The Netherlands. So the objective for the government was to create sympathy and understanding among guests and owners of small bars for the new and strict law that was enforced.

The channels we chose were more than appropriate: we visited our target group and literally made the message very clear on the walls and ceilings of many small bars throughout The Netherlands.

At the same time the Dutch Minister of Health helped 'cleaning' the first small bar with a lot of press around. It was the kickstart of a very valuable PR strategy into many different media. The original campaign ran for two weeks, but kept running a lot longer when blogs and media picked up on it. And: our messages are still visible on the walls and ceilings of the small bars today.

After the campaign 100% of the small bars were operated smoke free, and 100% of all guests knew about the new situation and complied to it.