NHS Yorkshire and Humber has appointed Supersonic for its latest stop smoking campaign ‘Turn the corner.’
Smoking is still the biggest causes of preventable illness and death in Yorkshire and the Humber and although rates have fallen over the past 20 years, the region still has some of the highest smoking levels in England.
Building on the latest behavioural science insights into smoking cessation, the new campaign brings to life the powerful true story of Wendy Robinson, a Yorkshire resident who after two separate battles with cancer caused by smoking, is now living smoke free. During the commercial Wendy is joined by her pregnant daughter, Amy, and they share a heartfelt hug in an emotional ending.
The campaign balances the harm caused by smoking with the hope that a better, smoke-free life is possible. The ad is supported by a stark statistic – every cigarette smoked takes around 20 minutes off your life.
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A key component of Supersonic’s creative treatment, a hand-painted mural by local art organisation Creative Start Arts in Health CIC, spans two corners of an end terrace in East Marsh, Grimsby. And is now a lasting visual reminder that anyone can go onto have a smoke-free life.
The integrated campaign launches on 8 April and will run across Yorkshire and Humberside on TV, out-of-home, and social and digital channels. It directs people to the Yes to Quit website, where they can access support and resources to help them on their journey to quit smoking.
Martin Smith, Creative Director at Supersonic, said: “Wendy’s story is truly inspiring, and we loved bringing it to life for such an important cause. We wanted to create a commercial that shows the very real damage smoking can do, but also that quitting is possible when you get the right support.
“The mural, set in a real and authentic environment, became the perfect backdrop to show how Wendy turned a corner and took that step towards quitting. One side of the mural represents the negatives associated with smoking, while the other shows the happier, healthier life that can come from quitting. It also gave us some really visually striking assets that we could use across the whole campaign.
“A huge thank you to the team at Chief Productions, who went above and beyond to make it happen.”
Katy Connolly, marketing and communications manager from the Centre for Excellence said:
“The aim of this campaign was to share the real-life experience of Wendy, who had successfully quit smoking, but not before unfortunately battling both kidney and lung cancer, giving hope that quitting is possible and signposting to help.
“Martin and Leighton at Supersonic were a pleasure to work with from the outset, carefully reviewing the insight and brief before presenting us with a range of truly inspiring creative concepts. We particularly loved ‘Turn the Corner’ and felt its strong visual impact complemented Wendy’s challenging experiences, whilst being completely unique.
“Expertly handled from concept to delivery, juggling multiple moving parts throughout, we are thrilled with the final commercial and assets, which deliver strong emotional impact, whilst being uplifting and inspiring – a great piece of work.”
The commercial was directed by Marc Ingham at Chief Productions.
The campaign has been funded by 15 local authorities across Humber, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire and is being coordinated by the Centre for Excellence, a small team who are funded by the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and focus on the three biggest killers: tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink.
