Campaign concept

Stop Before You Start puts a spotlight on young adult smoking behaviours, especially the turning point from experimental to regular smoking. 

The campaign highlights the health and social impacts of smoking. The challenge to young adults is to understand that 'Social smoking leads to regular smoking, Stop before you start.'

The aims are to increase the audience’s resistance to tobacco - including offers of cigarettes in social settings, help them understand the nature of tobacco and its harms, and increase the prevalence of pro-smokefree and anti-tobacco attitudes.

Audience

This campaign communicates with young adults 17 to 20 years old who are at risk of taking up smoking because of social and environmental influences such as peer pressures and alcohol consumption. At-risk smokers are those that are not daily smokers but may be experimenting with (social) smoking and risk becoming established smokers.

Campaign execution

The campaign uses a range of advertising approaches including television commercials, radio, street posters, as well as having a strong focus on digital channels.

The website stopbeforeyoustart.co.nz ​contains information and tools to help young adults resist tobacco and remain smokefree:

• The cost of smoking calculator
• Interactive quiz – how much do you know about smoking?
• A Get Help section that links to information about how to find regional stop smoking services and contact details for Quitline. 

Resources

Download A3 posters from the campaign here: