Senegal has launched its first national mass media campaign about the harms of tobacco. Developed by the Ministry of Health and Social Action and World Lung Foundation, the campaign graphically depicts the tar that collects inside an average smoker’s lungs. It is hoped that the campaign will empower citizens with new knowledge, and also spur advocacy and government policies to protect citizens from tobacco.

Called ‘Sponge,’ the campaign will air on TV, radio, outdoor venues and SMS for eight weeks.  It was tested rigorously in Senegal, and is based on campaigns previously aired in Australia, China, India, Mauritius, Russia, the United States, and several other countries. Currently, three percent of all male deaths in Senegal can be attributed to tobacco use; a number set to skyrocket as the tobacco industry increases its efforts to addict more people to its products.

Across Africa, tobacco industry activity is booming. Women in Africa, who have a relatively low smoking prevalence compared to other regions of the world and are therefore seen as a growth market, are aggressively targeted by the industry. Initiation among young people is also a concern; according to The Tobacco Atlas, almost 20% of youth in Senegal report having an item with a tobacco logo on it, with even higher percentages in Chad (30%), Niger (30%) and Mauritania (28%). This data suggest young people are being subjected to aggressive marketing to addict a new generation of users.

The campaign television ad (in French) can be viewed from the World Lung Foundation website.

Most smokers are happy to light a stranger’s cigarette, but what if that stranger was a child? Watch this and see what happens…

As a colleague noted, the best part about this video is that it turns the “kids shouldn’t smoke” message on its head. I completely agree. It is well established that the most effective way to prevent children from taking up smoking is to reduce smoking by adults. When the smokers in this video were confronted by their own words to the children that smoking is bad for you and to give up, it forced them to consider their own behaviour. Contrary to popular myth, children and teens don’t smoke in order to rebel, they smoke to emulate the adults around them. That’s why the children of smokers are more likely to be smokers themselves.

This ad has only been released online and has so far garnered more than 350,000 views in less than three weeks. Not bad for a health promotion message, but I think it warrants at least ten times that many views. I urge you to share it with the smokers in your life who might need a little extra motivation to try and quit.

By Stephen Hamill
Online Communications Manager
World Lung Foundation

Leveraging a unique law that allows for free prime-time advertising for anti-tobacco ads, Turkey has adapted and launched the hard-hitting “Sponge” campaign, originally produced by the Cancer Institute New South Wales in Australia. The campaign, on both radio and television, is the first to feature Turkey’s new quit-smoking hotline.

From all accounts, the campaign has had a terrific impact, with the quit line receiving more than 200,000 calls the first month and tying up all 16 operators at all hours. The ad has also entered public consciousness, appearing in chat rooms, billboards and newspapers. One prominent columnist wrote “Have you seen the Ministry of Health’s new tv spot? It is one of the strongest ads
I have ever seen, unlike previous campaigns . . . Thank you to the Ministry of health – when I see this ad I tremble, and ask myself ‘How can people smoke?’”

In retrospect, the impact is not that surprising: One of the world’s best tobacco control ads is being aired to the world’s 10th largest male smoking population, and this is the first time a quitting resource has been offered. A busy quitline is a good problem to have; it indicates that smokers are being motivated to quit in droves. It’s worth remembering that, if the Turkish experience mirrors international evidence, every hotline call represents several other smokers who have decided to quit on their own. Even in countries with excellent, and often free, quit resources, more than 80% of smokers quit cold turkey (pun intended!) on their own.

The “Sponge” campaign is an exciting step for Turkey, who has gradually implemented more and more graphic and effective campaigns over the last three years. Buoyed by a strong anti-tobacco advocate Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country has begun implementing policy measures in every MPOWER area and become a world leader in tobacco control. Where they were once known for careless habits around smoking and health, as one recent newspaper said, “The phrase ‘Smoke Like a Turk’ seems destined for the rubbish bin of history.”