Puffers are booed
Health The federal government's new tobacco prevention campaign dramatizes the frustration of passive smokers.
Health The Confederation's new tobacco prevention campaign dramatizes the frustration of passive smokers. "Does it bother you when I eat while smoking?" - You don't hear many insinuations of this kind from the mouths of the Swiss. 72 percent of non-smoking customers in restaurants and bars never ask strangers to refrain from smoking, even if they feel bothered by the cigarette smoke.
This behavior is documented by studies conducted by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), which has been running a national tobacco prevention program for four years. Although knowledge about the harmfulness of passive smoking is widespread, the Swiss apparently prefer to keep their mouths shut. This misunderstanding of decency is reason enough for the FOPH to focus on passive smoking in this year's public appearance.
Subtle approach
Contrary to the impression conveyed by visits to public pubs in this country, the Swiss are not a united nation of smokers. On the contrary: two thirds of the population are non-smokers. The FOPH now wants to call on this silent majority to stand up for their "right to fresh air". The corresponding measures were designed by the agencies By Heart in Zurich and cR Kommunikation in Bern.
After last year's campaign, which dramatized the toxins in cigarettes, was perceived as off-putting, this year the creative team opted for a more subtle approach. Under the motto "We stink!", the team has created two television commercials and three advertisements. "We want to tell non-smokers that it's up to them to fight back," explains CD Hans Siegwart. In doing so, By
Heart is pointing the finger and trying to create tolerance on both sides. Under no circumstances do they want to denounce smokers as the guilty party, says Siegwart. After all, no smoker endangers anyone else on purpose.
The beep as a popular method
In the spirit of "How do I tell my child" - or in this case my fellow smoker - the creatives provide a possible answer in the commercials. As part of the plot, the passive smoking protagonists make use of the already familiar acoustic heartbeat signal, which has supported the claim "Smoking harms" since the first campaign. By whistling the two short and the long drawn-out sounds, the children in one of the short films show their mother that it stinks when mommy smokes.
A young woman in the bar uses the same trick when her flirting partner lights up a cigarette. The smokers' contrite reactions in the commercial are also intended to confront nicotine addicts with their own behavior and make them aware that they are not only endangering their own health.
Those responsible on both the customer and agency side hope that whistling will be used as in the commercials and become so popular. According to Hans Siegwart, field tests have already been carried out. So anyone who is whistled at in the near future should first check their hands for cigarettes before they feel flattered.
It stinks: Passive smokers should defend themselves against the nuisance.
Close your nose and smoke away: The Federal Office of Public Health has launched a campaign to discourage smokers >> page 7
Simone Keller
This behavior is documented by studies conducted by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), which has been running a national tobacco prevention program for four years. Although knowledge about the harmfulness of passive smoking is widespread, the Swiss apparently prefer to keep their mouths shut. This misunderstanding of decency is reason enough for the FOPH to focus on passive smoking in this year's public appearance.
Subtle approach
Contrary to the impression conveyed by visits to public pubs in this country, the Swiss are not a united nation of smokers. On the contrary: two thirds of the population are non-smokers. The FOPH now wants to call on this silent majority to stand up for their "right to fresh air". The corresponding measures were designed by the agencies By Heart in Zurich and cR Kommunikation in Bern.
After last year's campaign, which dramatized the toxins in cigarettes, was perceived as off-putting, this year the creative team opted for a more subtle approach. Under the motto "We stink!", the team has created two television commercials and three advertisements. "We want to tell non-smokers that it's up to them to fight back," explains CD Hans Siegwart. In doing so, By
Heart is pointing the finger and trying to create tolerance on both sides. Under no circumstances do they want to denounce smokers as the guilty party, says Siegwart. After all, no smoker endangers anyone else on purpose.
The beep as a popular method
In the spirit of "How do I tell my child" - or in this case my fellow smoker - the creatives provide a possible answer in the commercials. As part of the plot, the passive smoking protagonists make use of the already familiar acoustic heartbeat signal, which has supported the claim "Smoking harms" since the first campaign. By whistling the two short and the long drawn-out sounds, the children in one of the short films show their mother that it stinks when mommy smokes.
A young woman in the bar uses the same trick when her flirting partner lights up a cigarette. The smokers' contrite reactions in the commercial are also intended to confront nicotine addicts with their own behavior and make them aware that they are not only endangering their own health.
Those responsible on both the customer and agency side hope that whistling will be used as in the commercials and become so popular. According to Hans Siegwart, field tests have already been carried out. So anyone who is whistled at in the near future should first check their hands for cigarettes before they feel flattered.
It stinks: Passive smokers should defend themselves against the nuisance.
Close your nose and smoke away: The Federal Office of Public Health has launched a campaign to discourage smokers >> page 7
Simone Keller
