AMV BBDO backs NHS quit smoking app and campaign

AMV BBDO has partnered with the Department of Health and Social Care to launch a national campaign promoting the NHS Quit Smoking app and Personal Quit Plan, positioning digital support as a practical route to quitting.

Titled The Power To Quit Is In Your Hands, the campaign highlights that smokers are three times more likely to quit successfully when using proven tools and support, aiming to encourage uptake of NHS digital services.

Shifting focus from harm to support

The creative moves away from messaging centred on the health risks of smoking. Instead, it uses humour and exaggeration to dramatise the role of support, presenting the NHS Quit Smoking app as a catalyst that helps smokers stay on track.

The hero film features a man in his workplace canteen who is invited outside for a cigarette. As he considers joining colleagues, his phone emits a beam of light and lifts him onto the table. The moment reveals a reminder from the NHS Quit Smoking app that he is on day 11 of his quit journey, prompting him to decline.

Integrated rollout across national media

The campaign runs nationwide across TV, online video, social media, radio, digital audio and out-of-home. It directs audiences to digital tools including the NHS Quit Smoking app, which offers a free 28-day programme with tailored advice and encouragement. Success rates increase significantly among those who remain smoke-free for the first four weeks.

Rachel Carr, Director of Communications, DHSC: "Half of smokers say they want to quit so this campaign will take a fresh and bold approach, focusing on the support that’s at hand to help them to do so successfully, via our proven NHS digital tools."

Emily Whiteaway, Managing Partner, AMV BBDO: "Quitting is hard. Despondency grows with every failed attempt, and when you try to quit alone, the challenge can feel insurmountable. The Power to Quit Is in Your Hands delivers much-needed tangible support and an injection of optimism. We hope that presenting these supportive tools as a smart, powerful way to turbocharge a quitting attempt will give people the confidence and resources they need to quit for good."

www.amvbbdo.com

www.gov.uk

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