Québec Tobacco-Free Week against digestive cancers | Macadam Marketing
2022-03-10
Québec Tobacco-Free Week 2021

Québec Tobacco-Free Week 2021

Context

The 44th edition of Québec Tobacco-Free Week, coordinated by the Conseil québécois sur le tabac et la santé and developed in partnership with our agency, aims to encourage Quebec's adult population to take concrete steps to help cut down on smoking. This year, the campaign will highlight the little-known consequences of the five types of digestive cancers caused by tobacco on the lives of smokers and their loved ones.

“A high proportion of digestive cancers are smoking-related,” says Annie Papageorgiou, Executive Director of the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health. “These cancers have serious consequences. It's troubling to think that the risk is high, especially when you consider that these cancers could be prevented. We must inform and protect people from the harm tobacco causes.”

“To reach a wider cohort of smokers, Tobacco-Free Week has chosen to adopt a more youthful tone this year,” says Benoît Beauchemin, Partner, Account Services at Macadam. “While the message remains simple and powerful, even provocative, we wanted to target the 35-year-old adult and make them understand that smoking will have an impact on their life now and for a long time to come.”

These ads echo the images found on cigarette packages and show the physical consequences of smoking. They’ve already left their mark on the imagination and, in their current form, have the potential to leave their mark on an entire generation, in addition to reinforcing an already impactful message.

“Most people are familiar with the infamously shocking images on cigarette packs. These images elicit strong reactions, which is what is needed to trigger behavioural change and raise awareness and consciousness. Given this fact, we developed the “Un cancer du foie, c’est pas beau à voir” (Liver cancer isn’t a pretty sight) signature tag. Now imagine the same concept for the five types of digestive cancers. Finally, the “Arrêtez. Maintenant.” (Stop. Now.) slogan reflects the importance of quitting smoking as soon as possible by using the J’ARRÊTE (I QUIT) service,” says Mr. Beauchemin.

This type of advertising can spark conversations and discussions in the daily lives of Quebecers and on social media, in part because it is designed to be memorable. In this way, we can address several sub-themes, educate and raise awareness.

In addition to its advertising campaign on television, the web and social media, the Québec Tobacco-Free Week, developed in collaboration with the Canidé agency, rolled out a series of social media posts to further personalize the messages and ensure this public relations initiative reached people and encouraged them to take action.

Services provided

  • Communication strategy
  • Advertising creation and production
  • Video