DoH targets parents with new ad

The second phase of a government campaign aimed at parents who smoke will launch on Monday with a TV ad created by Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy.

The new Department of Health ad – entitled ‘worried’ – is designed to show parents how much stress their habit puts on teenage kids who worry about their elders health.

The ad is the second part of a campaign launched last October highlighting children’s fears over their parents health. It builds on the previous ‘scared’ ad, which featured a young girl living in fear of her parents dying as a result of their smoking.

The new ad, which will run until the end of March, features a teenage boy who explains how he isn’t worried about lots of things, such as a big dog barking at him, before cutting to a scene which shows him spending time with his dad, where he admits he is worried about his Dad’s smoking habit.

Nearly half (49%) of teenagers are more worried about their mums’ and dads’ smoking habits than anything else, including money, bullying and divorce, according to research commissioned from Dubit by the DoH.

The campaign is designed to build new awareness of ways the Government can help people quit via the NHS Stop Smoking Services. Media for the campaign is being handled by Media Edge, and is being supported by a PR campaign through Blue Rubicon.