BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: Fresh (Making Smoking History) has led the way in the UK in delivering effective media campaigns since 2005 in an eight-strand programme - a key driver for achieving the largest smoking rate reduction in any English region. Key priorities are increasing quit rates and improving the quit success rate through promoting evidence-based ways to quit.
In line with MPOWER recommendations, Fresh employs graphic and hard-hitting anti-tobacco mass media campaigns.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: Our Smoking Survivors campaign (2023-25) aims to trigger population quits using themes of harm and hope. Through co-creation we worked with real “survivors” to detail the harm of tobacco on health, lives and families.
We ran a multi-channel TV-led campaign focusing on risks like cancer, while harnessing outdoor, TV streaming and online to drive responses to quit support. Earned media was part of the strategy with strong news and social media engagement.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: Evaluation found 73% of smokers / recent quitters saw or heard the campaign, 91% found it easy to understand, 61% more motivated by quitting and 46% taking a quit-related action. The campaign across six phases 2023-24 also prompted more than 80000 visits to our online quit support platform FreshQuit.co.uk
CONCLUSIONS: The findings add further evidence to the effectiveness of campaigns with real peopel narratives memorable for smokers and prompting conversations from loved ones.
Our first TV advert, featuring cancer survivor Sue, was used across England in 2024, with evaluation showing it increased urgency of quitting intentions. It also showed how quitters can become policy champions, calling on the UK Government to raise age of sale for tobacco and impose a levy on tobacco companies. She was honoured in the Kings New Year Honours awards 2025.
As the UK now prepares to take forward world-leading legislation on tobacco, campaigns like Smoking Survivors can play an important role helping increase overall quitting.