Are tobacco companies being affected by all of the negative press about smoking?

by Dan Ritchey

     Most of us have seen the commercials for anti-smoking ads such as the Truth campaign. Are anti-tobacco industry campaigns like this actually having any success? According to the Center for Disease Control, the answer is YES. The recent ad campaign, "Tips From Former Smokers" inspired more than 200,000 people to quit, with researchers expecting at least half of those people to remain smoke-free. The CDC reported, "The percentage of people who tried to quit rose by 12 percent, representing 1.6 million attempts, surveys showed. The toll-free number (1-800-QUIT-NOW) displayed during the ads got 132 percent more calls."

    The director of the CDC's Office on smoking and health, Tim McAffee, stated, "I wish we could make upbeat, happy ads,” but that’s not what smokers said would motivate them to quit...Smoking costs the U.S. health care system $96 billion a year. The ad campaign cost $54 million. That works out to less than $200 per year of life saved, McAffee said."

References:

Creamer, M. (2012, January 16). Advertising Age. Advertising Age  News RSS. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://adage.com/article/news/funding-anti-tobacco-ads-fell-quitting-rate/232111/

Eldred, S. (2013, September 9). Grotesque Anti-Smoking Ads Shown to Work. DNews. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://news.discovery.com/human/health/anti-smoking-ads-that-work-130909.htm