Building a Campaign and Brand Using the MCRC

Audience:

State and local health departments and tobacco control groups who play a role in developing and implementing advertising strategies would benefit. Contractors that support those groups would benefit from hearing how they can best recommend using the MCRC effectively and efficiently.

Key Points:

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the AlmaDDB team chose to utilize the MCRC to re-invigorate the Tobacco Free Florida brand due to the availability of hundreds of fully-produced materials and creative low-cost options that are efficient to implement, require little or no production and often previously evaluated.  

From data provided by RTI International, a contracted independent evaluator, the DOH and agency team chose ads that tested well for prevention, cessation and secondhand smoke messages to target audiences in other states and focus groups conducted by the DOH. The campaign strategy also shifted to utilize hard-hitting ads with high emotional appeal (Reverse The Damage and the Rick Stoddard series were included). Results dramatically increased the number of Quitline calls: in January 2010, the Quitline received 19,132 calls - nearly 10,000 more than January 2009.

Educational Experience:

Audiences will learn best practices on raising brand awareness and converting potential quitters into callers to the state’s Quitline; how to sell in this approach; and how to manage external issues related to hard-hitting creative. The DOH/AlmaDDB team will make recommendations for implementing these practices within existing and new campaigns.

Benefits:

Audiences will learn the best ways for utilizing the MCRC to implement a highly effective campaign that greatly increased quit attempts in Florida.