Can Public Relations Snuff Out Smoking?

What will it take to convince people to stop their cigarette habit?

A bold new PR collaboration thinks that they just might know. According to a recent Advertising Age article by Karen Egolf, the Legacy For Health, the Ad Council and the Ex campaign have joined forces to launch a new program targeted towards convincing smokers to quit.

The new program will use a variety of techniques including public service announcements, posters, and giveaways (such as air fresheners) to help motivate smokers. There will even be an iPhone application aimed at stopping smoking.

Will these efforts work when so many stop smoking campaigns have failed?

As an occasional asthma sufferer and the mother of an asthma sufferer, I have to say, “I certainly hope so.”

You see, being around cigarette smoke is more than just unpleasant for us. It can trigger some very real respiratory problems. Anyone who has ever used an inhaler to help with his or her breathing will tell you that not being able to catch your breath is not much fun.

Our family is very lucky because most of the public areas (restaurants, malls, schools, etc.) near us ban smoking. All of our friends are non-smokers. This makes it easy for us to avoid inhaling too much second hand smoke.

Of course, the health problems caused by inhaling secondhand smoke pale in comparison to the health problems that the smoker faces. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, smoking can lead to many kinds of cancer, heart problems, and problems for pregnant women.

Personally, I can attest to the reality of these statistics.  My own grandfather died as a result of lung cancer–probably because he was a pipe smoker for many years.

The sad fact is that many smokers already know the dangers and risks associated with smoking, and they do it anyway. It’s easy to think that you’ll be the one who escapes the negative consequences of smoking. Plus, there’s the addiction factor, which makes quitting really hard for many.

So, will the efforts of the Legacy For Health, Ad Council, and the Ex campaign successfully reduce the number of smokers?

I don’t know, but in my opinion if even a handful of smokers quit due to their efforts it will have been worth it.

The importance of quitting smoking is a message that we just can’t hear often enough. If you’re a smoker, check out the materials in this campaign to help you stop smoking.