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City Launches Media Campaign to Help Philadelphians Quit Smoking and Cut Down on Sugary Drinks
City Launches Media Campaign to Help Philadelphians Quit Smoking and Cut Down on Sugary Drinks
As part of its Get Healthy Philly initiative, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is launching a multi-media public health campaign, targeting cigarettes and sugary drinks.
The sugary drink ads ask caregivers, "Do you know what your kids are drinking?" The smoking ads focus on the 300,000 smokers in Philadelphia who are struggling to kick the habit. The tagline reads, "Quit with help. Quit for good." The ads will be disseminated via television, radio, transit, and text messaging; in corner stores, newsstands, laundromats, barber shops, and salons; and in select City of Philadelphia buildings.
"Smoking, poor nutrition, and physical inactivity are the biggest killers in Philadelphia, having taken the lives of more than 40,000 Philadelphians over the past decade," noted Health Commissioner Dr. Donald Schwarz. "And, unfortunately, unhealthy products continue to be heavily marketed to children, youth, and low-income adults in our city. Our ads seek to raise awareness about the negative effects of cigarettes and sugary drinks and to spur people to action."
The media campaigns were funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and developed by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, media experts from the Annenberg School of Public Policy, and media partners led by the Neiman, including, Brown Partners, Cardenas-Grant Communications, Mendoza Group, and Harmelin Media. The development process included surveys of over 1,000 Philadelphians, in-person and online focus group testing, and multiple rounds of revisions.
"Talking with caregivers in Philadelphia revealed that many of them don't think of their children as overweight even when they are," said Nan Feyler, Chief of Staff for the Department of Public Health. "And while the health consequences of obesity itself weren't alarming, many caregivers were shocked that their kids could be at risk for diabetes due to their weight."
The sugary drink television ad features a mother and her son driving home from a doctor's appointment at which the mother is told that her overweight son could develop diabetes. It will air on multiple cable TV stations. The radio ad stars "Mr. Sugar," a sneaky character exemplifying the way sugary drinks deceptively pack on the calories and the pounds. This ad will air on multiple general market, African-American, and Latino radio stations.
The quit smoking ads on television and radio highlight that most smokers want to quit but try to do so on their own or "cold turkey." Yet, they are 2-3 times as likely to quit successfully if they use some form of help, like counseling or medications. The television ad features a middle-aged African-American male smoker who repeatedly enters a corner store to buy a pack of cigarette. It will air on multiple cable TV stations. The radio ad showcases a mom and her son, who confronts her about the pack of cigarettes in her purse. This ad will air on multiple general market, African-American, and Latino radio stations.
"Cigarettes and sugary drinks are heavily marketed, cheap, and available at nearly every corner in Philadelphia," said Dr. Giridhar Mallya, Director of Policy and Planning for the Department of Public Health. "These media campaigns will help change people's knowledge and attitudes and will point them toward resources to make healthy changes."
Both campaigns will make use of the web and social media to further the campaign messages:
Tobacco
Sugary drinks
The ads will run through March 2012 and will be refreshed periodically. Monitoring surveys will track people's exposure to the ads and any changes to their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.