Health Promotion Board launches smoking control campaign for youths in Singapore

The campaign encourages youth to lead a tobacco-free life by trumping up the benefits to one’s appearance, fitness, spending power and the environment.

This year’s drive spans above-the-line, out-of-home, online, radio and on-ground activities, including the Great Audio Experience.

The event, held at the end of May as part of celebrations for World No Tobacco Day, was the first-of-its-kind moving flash mob to be organised in Singapore.

About 400 youths came together, tuning in to instructions on radio station 98.7FM to celebrate a smoke-free lifestyle. The Great Audio Experience also made it to the Singapore Book of Records as the city-state’s first radio-led mass walk.

On the campaign, Ogilvy & Mather Singapore creative director Troy Lim said: “A smoke-free world is one where everyone is more beautiful, fitter and wealthier in a greener environment. We want youths to aspire to take a stand against tobacco and inspire those around them to do so as well to create this wonderful world.”

One of the challenges faced by the creative team was the cynicism that youth have for top-down messages that aim to change smoking behavior. Jon Loke, head of art at Ogilvy & Mather Singapore, added that the agency was careful to ensure the campaign would not talk down to them.

Most of the media buys are concentrated on online and OOH, with hoardings, pillars and screen doors of MRT stations, where there is heavier youth traffic, wrapped in the campaign artwork. The campaign will run until August.





Credits:
Client: Health Promotion Board
Project: National Smoking Control Campaign 2010
Creative agency: Ogilvy & Mather Advertising Singapore
Creative director: Troy Lim, Jon Loke
Copywriter: Adrian Yeap
Art director: Fajar Kurnia
Planners: Sonal Narain, Huiwen Tow
Producer: Iskandar Abdul Kader
Account servicing: Shirley Tay, Yulin Loh, Jamie Tang, Jude Foo, Kim Tan