Dispelling myths about secondhand smoke | Cactus advertising marketing communication design agency Denver Colorado

05.16.07: Dispelling myths about secondhand smoke

Insight. It’s an important part of the strategic and creative process at Cactus. Whether we’re using traditional research methods or just gathering opinions at the local coffee shop, we always strive to understand our audience. And sometimes, the insight we gain is so noteworthy that it defines an entire campaign.

Take Cactus’ work for the State Tobacco Education and Prevention Partnership and its initiative to decrease children’s exposure to secondhand smoke. The goal was to educate parents about the danger of secondhand smoke exposure to their children and encourage parents to always step outside their home or car to smoke. But, how do you talk to parents about changing such a personal behavior? Will they even be open to such a message? Cactus began by working with Market Perceptions, our research subcontractor, to conduct primary qualitative research. We conducted a total of four focus groups – two with parents who smoke, one with healthcare providers and one with childcare providers. We also examined an extensive collection of secondary research.

The key finding from the research surprised everyone. We learned that parents were already taking steps to protect their children from secondhand smoke exposure. They understood many of the dangers of secondhand smoke, and they wanted to protect their children. The problem was that they were taking the wrong steps to protect their children. Because they believed four myths about secondhand smoke exposure, they were doing the wrong things. The myths included:

the distance myth – that children are protected from secondhand smoke if a parent smokes in another room or in another part of the house.
the odor myth – if a parent covers up the smell of smoke with an air freshener, then the secondhand smoke no longer exists.
the ventilation myth – if a parent turns on a fan or opens a window, then the secondhand smoke is eliminated.
the quit myth – the only way to protect children from secondhand smoke is if parents quit smoking entirely.

We realized that we had to combat these beliefs and educate parents that there was just one step they needed to take to protect their children from secondhand smoke – stepping outside the home or car every time they smoke.

This led to the development of our “ONE Step” campaign. We created a mass media campaign including TV, radio, print and outdoor executions in English and Spanish that directly addressed the myths and the “one step” parents can take to protect their children – stepping outside the home or car to smoke. In addition, we produced a parent educational video in English and Spanish and a parent packet containing a brochure, picture frame magnet, key chain, and a copy of the video, all encased in a unique metal tin. We also developed materials for childcare providers and healthcare providers to educate them about how they, as professionals, could speak to parents who smoke about the issue.

To view more campaign creative components, visit our website, sharpideas.com.