Hardly anyone smokes anymore...

I read an article a while ago about the Nova Scotia government's Department of Health and Wellness's new anti-smoking campaign, which you can read here. The campaign is called "15 and falling" and refers to results from the 2009 Canadian Tobacco Usage Monitoring Survey revealing that only 15% of Canadian teens smoke. Marketing materials for this campaign include the above commercials, a website, facebook page, and museum-style artifact boxes containing smoking paraphernalia located near schools and malls.

I think this a unique and refreshing approach. I feel that campaigns showcasing the dangers of smoking have been overdone and people are becoming desensitized to their messages. I recently read that smoking kills 1,200 Americans everyday. That should shock me, but it didn't. I was actually more surprised to hear that only 15% of teens smoke!

I really like the commercials - they're funny but they still feel authentic. Also, the website is very interactive. Anyone can post videos of things they think "suck", which encourages teens to keep revisiting the website and should reinforce the message.

I did notice that comments were disabled on the YouTube videos, and the website didn't really provide any outlets to post comments or feedback. I think this is a bit of a missed opportunity, because in today's society everyone likes to express their opinions and have their voices heard in a public forum.

Overall, I think this campaign has been really well executed. I also think that it is generic enough to lend itself to Canada as a whole, not just Nova Scotia. I would like to see this happen, as the message is important and I really think that teens will take note of it. Hopefully, if the campaign continues next year, the name will have to be changed to a lower number!