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| NICO |
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De-glamourisation of smoking |
Agency:
Client:
Team:
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QMP Publicis
Health Promotion Unit
Chris Fitzgerald
Mike Keely
Geraldine Jones
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INTRODUCTION
19% of school going children and
34% of 18-34 year olds smoke. Peer
pressure and the belief that they will
look more sophisticated and ‘cool’
means that young people are easily
persuaded to take up the habit, a
habit that will be difficult to break and
could even last a lifetime.
BACKGROUND
The National Health and Lifestyle
Survey (SLÁN) was first commissioned
by the Health Promotion Unit of the
Department of Health and Children in
1998. This study is undertaken at four
yearly intervals and serves to identify
and monitor behaviour trends among
the population. The data gathered is
vital for policy development,
programme planning and priority
setting by the Health Promotion Unit.
The results from the initial research
(1999 Slán Report) highlighted that
smoking rates among young adults far
exceeded the target anticipated for
2000 (the target was to reduce the
percentage of those who smoke by at
least 1 percentage point per year so
that more than 80 per cent of the
population aged 15 years and over are
non-smokers by the year 2000). Over
40% of boys and girls reported
smoking a cigarette by the age of 12-
14 and by the age of 15-17 40% of
girls in social class 5 and 6 are smokers.
The results of this research gave rise to
the birth of the Nico campaign.
MARKETING OBJECTIVES
The objective of the initial phase of
the Nico campaign was to target
young teenage girls with a relevant
message about the negatives
associated with smoking and by doing
so reduce the attractiveness and
incidence of smoking amongst this
group. Teenage female smokers in
Ireland were increasing in numbers at
the time (12-14 year old girls were the
fastest growing group of new
smokers).
During the second phase of the
campaign, which launched earlier this
year, the target audience was
broadened to include young teenage
males. The most recent Slán report
highlights that 15-17 year old males, as
a group, is still reporting an increase in
smoking levels. The early teenage years
are the time when the majority of
people take up smoking (eight out of
ten smokers become addicted in their
teens) and it is hoped that a successful
campaign would reduce the number of
smokers in the younger age groups
and ultimately reduce the number of
smokers overall.
THE TASK
Teenagers do not believe that antismoking
messages focusing on the
health risks associated with smoking
(cancer, heart and lung disease etc.),
are relevant to them. These risks are
too far into the future to worry about
now so a campaign using ‘threat
based’ advertising would have little or
no effect. This group believes that they
are invincible.
What does matter to them however
is the impression they make on their
peer group. Their ‘fashion choices’ of
clothing, footwear, music, even of
attitude are very important to them.
This is particularly true for teenage
girls who are hugely concerned about
looking good and being attractive to
the opposite sex.
The task for advertising was to
make cigarette smoking unfashionable
and something that reduces rather
than increases attractiveness to the
opposite sex. Tone of voice is
absolutely critical in successfully
influencing this audience. Patronizing
or preachy advertising will result in a
rejection of the message and prompt
the opposite behaviour to that which
we want to achieve.
THE STRATEGIC SOLUTION
The approach taken was to provide
them with ammunition to defend their
decision not to smoke to their peers by
highlighting that smoking has a
significant and immediate impact on
their appearance.
All of the positive associations that
teenage girls have with smoking are to
do with appearance. Smoking makes
you look confident, sophisticated and
more like an adult i.e. more attractive.
Being attractive is more important to
these young girls than the cancer risks
associated with continued smoking.
When it comes to appearance
teenage girls are information hungry
and will spend hours ploughing
through the pages of magazines
looking for tips on hair, skincare and
overall image creation.
Similarly teenage boys will use
cigarettes to look ‘cool’ and ‘tough’ in
front of their peers. They are hugely
influenced by their peers and seek
acceptance from them. Their greatest
fear is of being ridiculed or laughed at.
Highlighting the immediate
negative effects smoking has on
appearance exploits our target
audiences’ insecurities. In order to be
successful we needed to speak to our
target in a language and style that was
appropriate. For the initial phase this
involved the use of similar language to
that which is used in cosmetic
advertising and which is familiar to all
teenage girls. In phase two it involved
emulating the style and theme of the
popular MTV show “Cribs” where
wealthy celebrities show a tv crew
around their home.
THE IDEA
The campaign entitled “Nico” was
originally designed to target young
women with a very distinct and clear
message delivered via impactful,
striking images. It motivated our target
audience to avoid smoking because it
could make them less attractive. We
created a range of ‘ANTI-COSMETICS’
called ‘NICO’ and presented them
using a brand character (also NICO) in
the style of a cosmetics campaign. The
essentials of the NICO character were
that he was not saying “Don’t”, he was
saying “Do”! Do buy his perfume, his
lipstick, his hair products.
NICO starts off by looking attractive
and in character for a TV personality
selling a cosmetic product. His
character goes from being pleasant to
oily and ingratiating and eventually
ends up a loathsome, sinister, yellowtoothed
nightmare. Like smoking, he is
a ‘turn-off’.
Phase two of the campaign was
produced earlier this year and follows
the theme and style of MTV Cribs. MTV
Cribs is a very popular programme
amongst young teens primarily
because it feeds their desire to know
more about the lives of their celebrity
idols.
In this ad NICO welcomes the tv
crew into his mansion and is initially
portrayed as a successful, sophisticated
and charming businessman who has
made a lot of money from marketing
his range of NICO products. As the
commercial develops, we get the sense
that all is not as it seems. Nico’s world
is not as glamourous and fun as we
think. Subtle off-camera details and
undertones strip away at the façade.
We’re left with the reality of what
Nico really is: very unhealthy,
exploitative, highly addictive and
potentially lethal.
THE COMMUNICATION ACTIVITY
The initial phase of the Nico
campaign ran from 2000-2003. The
campaign was led by TV and also
included Cinema, Radio, Outdoor and
Press advertising. Media developed an
integrated strategy to place these ads “at the scene of the crime” i.e.
Utilising six sheets close to convenience
stores, pubs and colleges – all areas
where the target might “light up”.
The second phase which launched in
Cinema and TV earlier this year will
run for a further burst in October.
The overall investment in media is
approx €2.7 million with a further €1.1 million invested in developing the
campaign.
POST CAMPAIGN EVALUATION
On prompted recognition of the
campaign 65% of smokers and even
57% of non-smokers recognized the
Nico campaign.
67% of 15-34 year olds were aware
of the campaign, while 69% of our
target group, CD2E’s were also aware.
| THE RESULTS |
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On attitudes towards advertising by demographics, these were the results: The effectiveness of the initial phase of the Nico campaign can be seen from the results of the National Health & Lifestyles Survey (Slán 2003). Among school going children, 19% overall reported that they were current
smokers, down from 21% in 1998 (this equates to approx 20,000 teenagers) and rates have dropped most particularly in the key 12-14 year old female group.
Whilst the campaign
objectives have been met and indeed
surpassed the total success cannot be
ascribed to the media campaign alone. However the Health Promotion Unit firmly believes that the campaign was a major contributing factor in ensuring young people did not take up the habit, and has contributed significantly to a large number of smokers breaking the habit.
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The first Nico campaign won Silver and Gold Apple Awards (British Health Awards) for TV and print in London and was the most recalled poster in Ireland for three years between 2000- 2003. |
Following the launch of the second
phase of the campaign earlier this year,
research figures are as good, and in
some cases higher than for the original
campaign, although the Department’s
research is not yet concluded. The
effectiveness of the second phase will
be not be known until the 2006 Slán
four-yearly health survey is published
and this will also allow a direct
comparison with the results from the
first phase of the campaign.
PAYBACK OR RETURN ON
INVESTMENT
- Approx 6000 people a year die in
Ireland due to smoking related
diseases.
- 50% of today’s young smokers will
die prematurely from smoking
related diseases.
- Smoking causes three major diseases
– lung cancer, heart disease and
bronchitis/ emphysema.
- Smoking is a major cause of 90% of
lung cancer deaths, 25% of deaths
from heart disease and about 75%
of deaths from bronchitis and
emphysema.
It is impossible to put a value on the
return on investment for this type of
campaign as the return could be
measured in lives saved through
quitting early or by not taking up the
habit at all.
Any success that the Nico anti–smoking campaign has in reducing
the number of young smokers will, in
the longer term, contribute to
reducing the above statistics, reducing
financial and operational pressure on
the health service and will ultimately
contribute to a healthier and happier
society.
SUMMARY
The 1999 Slan report highlighted
that over 40% of boys and girls
reported smoking a cigarette by the
age of 12-14 and by the age of 15-17
40% of girls in social class 5 and 6 are
smokers.
The Nico anti-smoking campaign,
aimed at reducing the attractiveness
and incidence of smoking amongst
teenage smokers in Ireland, launched
in 2000. The initial phase of the
campaign focused on teenage girls
with the target broadening out to
include teenage boys for phase two
(launched earlier this year).
The challenge with targeting young
teenagers with anti-smoking messages
is that as a group they feel that they
are invincible so messages about the
long-term effects on health do not
have cut through with this group.
The approach was taken to provide
them with ammunition to defend their
decision not to smoke to their peers by
highlighting that smoking has a
significant and immediate impact on
their appearance.
The Nico ads used a style and
imagery that was relevant to this
young target, the first was produced in
the style of a commercial for cosmetics
and the second in the style of the
popular MTV programme ‘Cribs’.
The Nico campaign has been
extremely successful, both in terms of
advertising awards won and in the
reduction in the numbers who smoke
in the target – incidence of smoking is
down 20,000 amongst the target with
the largest reduction in the 12-14 year
old age group.
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