Publicis Dublin’s 'Controlling Friend' Urges Smokers to Take Back Control

Publicis Dublin’s campaign for the HSE (National Healthcare system) aims to motivate smokers to take back control and quit smoking with the help of the QUIT service. Nicotine has been personified to show smokers the hold it can have on them, via the human traits of manipulation and controlling behaviour, and importantly, the release they’ll feel when they quit.

ECD Ronan Nulty says, “‘we took the metaphor of a toxic friendship, something most of us can relate to, and demonstrated that when we ignore something that has a certain level of control over us, we gain a lot more than we lose by getting free of them”

Head of strategic planning, Chloe Hanratty adds, “To provoke behaviour change we had to look at smoking through the smoker's eyes. We want to address their perceived benefits of smoking. This approach intends to reflect a smoker’s quitting journey, making people aware of the fundamental way nicotine manipulates the brain. This should prompt consideration of a quit attempt and encourage people to avail of the really supportive Quit service.”

Business director, Karen Muckian says, “18% of the population still smoke. The Quit service genuinely helps. We’re hopeful that we can really strike a chord with people and drive further awareness of the support that’s out there.”

Head of campaigns, HSE Communications, Aghna Harte, “Since 2011, the HSE QUIT campaign has supported thousands people to quit smoking with the support of personalised, evidence-based supports from the QUIT service that are proven to increase your chances of quitting for good. 'Take Back Control' responds to our research with smokers, reflecting the reality - that smoking is an addiction that's hard to walk away from. That quitting is not easy but it is achievable with the right support.”

The campaign launches with AV and Audio across broadcast and social platforms, and will include supporting content from the Quit programme.