Some Tobacco Control advocates consider that targeting nicotine is a faulty move. They wonder what the EU tobacco control experts input was for this campaign.
I am very much against that campaign which ruins all our efforts to promote NRT. Tobacco and moreover tobacco smoke are our targets,not nicotine as such. We should ask Ligaris to give us the list of the "experts", consulted before launching such a disastrous media campaign! Prof. P.BARTSCH FARES Belgium
Sometimes tobacco control is its own worse enemy as illustrated by the EU's new ˜nicomarket' campaign. http://www.nicomarket.com/...
This is so astonishingly counter productive that I predict it will cause more harm than good. In fact, I can almost hear the champagne corks popping over at the BAT offices as they celebrate another wasted opportunity to spend European money on something that might actually help reduce smoking.
The new campaign features a series of products containing nicotine. A toothpaste, face cream and tissues are examples. The argument is that they ruin your skin and teeth.
We have spent many years trying to undo smoker's misconceptions about nicotine and encourage them to use NRT when quitting.
Misunderstanding about nicotine is one of smokers biggest barriers to using cessation aids that can help them stop. It astonishes me that once again the EU’s marketing agency, Ligaris, chuck 40 years of evidence and experience out the window and produce this drivel.
I would not even call this campaign useless, I would go as far to say that it will actually cause harm by discouraging smokers to use NRT and reduce the numbers of successful quit attempts.
There is a panel of tobacco control experts that advises the EU's campaign. I know a number of panel members would also feel the same about this campaign so I can only conclude that the EU's marketing agency chose to ignore the advice and evidence and do their own thing.
There is a huge amount of resources behind this campaign and the potential to really do some good is being wasted.
Mass media can be hugely influential in encouraging behaviour change and reducing cigarette consumption. Let's not waste this power on poorly conceived campaigns that put looks and humour above evidence. Frankly, this campaign will likely cost a few more smokers lives and that is inexcusable.
This reinforces the need to have evidence based approaches. We have years of knowledge and experience in communicating to smokers and should drawing upon this. I can only urge colleagues in Europe to say no to this campaign.
Ben Youdan
Director, ASH New Zealand
Office Phone: (09) 520 4866
Cell Phone: 021 733 444
www.ash.org.nz
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