Quitting smoking ad deserves big praise
I think the HSE deserves credit for their new QUIT campaign. Aimed at getting people to stop smoking, the new television ad shows people making the decision to stop to the tune of “I Will Survive”.
A very empowering ad, it shows people having the strength to break the habit with conviction. Even more moving is the part where the music stops and we are faced with a man with a scar down his chest, obviously the result of a smoking related disease. This ad gives the right message; that quitting is within your hands and is something which can be achieved.
Now, compare this to the disastrous ‘ Get Cancer’ awareness campaign launched by the Irish Cancer Society. That was an ad which stays in people’s minds for all the wrong reasons. The aim of the campaign was to highlight that there is a cancer ‘ epidemic’ in Ireland and that by 2020 one out of every two people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. However, to flag the campaign with the line “I want to get cancer” was an insult to every person battling, who has battled or who has lost the battle to cancer.
It was clearly some ‘ clever’ PR idea dreamt up by somebody who has never faced the living hell of fighting or watching someone fight cancer. There is nothing trendy about cancer, there is no quirky way of spreading the message and for people at the top in the Irish Cancer Society to have Ok’d this ad, serious questions need to be asked.
When almost 100 complaints were made to the ASAI over the ad, elements of the ad had to be removed. The Irish Cancer Society said that the ad had done its job and that calls to the Freephone cancer nurse line had doubled in relation to cancer screening and cancer risk reduction. I still believe there are better, more respectful ways of getting the message across without playing around with very serious words to the point where they become offensive.
We are all more conscious of our health, or at least try to be and so ads from groups like these two are so important to remind us to keep taking care of ourselves. However, it just shows the power of marketing; one empowers you while the other enrages you.
For anyone wishing to avail of the free advice and help provided by the QUIT programme they can do so by Free text Quit to 50100, on Freephone 1800 201 203 or by logging on to www. quit. ie. Anyone with concerns can contact the Irish Cancer Society on Freephone 1800 200 700 Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm.