HELP campaign wins award

Campaign promotes tobacco-free lifestyle

At the EACA (European Association of Communications Agencies) Care Awards ceremony that took place in Brussels on 23 June 2010, the European Commission’s 2009-2010 ‘HELP, for a life without tobacco’ campaign was recognised as the top social marketing campaign for its creativity and innovation. The campaign HELP 2.0 primarily targeted young people and sought to promote a tobacco-free lifestyle by providing comprehensive information on the health and societal problems caused by using tobacco products. The campaign integrated television, the internet and new media such as mini-sites accessible by mobile phone to engage with young people. The accessibility of the campaign was enhanced by having the HELP site in 22 languages.

Help 2.0 actively aimed to empower young individuals to be in control of their health and lifestyle, rather than seeing them as passive receptors of media targeting. Help 2.0’s creative strategy focused on the collection, presentation and implementation of tips, be they serious or fun, around the traditional tobacco-control themes of prevention, cessation and passive smoking.

HELP was named overall winner in the ‘Government Bodies and Related Organisations’ category, an award that recognises excellence in social marketing. The campaign has won 11 awards since its launch in 2008, including the 2008 and 2009 Empreintes Grand Prix, the 2008 Top Com Consumer marketing Grand Prix, the Cannes Lion 2008 and the Paris E-Marketing 2009 double award

Sources: European Commission, Public Health and Paper Blog, 5 May and 1 July 2010.

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