You can quit: New advertising campaign

Media releases
26 Dec 2010
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A new advertising campaign from the Cancer Institute NSW will encourage smokers to kick the habit for good this festive period.

The campaign entitled iCanQuit highlights the importance of willpower in a smoker's quit attempt.

The advertisement follows a recent quitter, in situations where willpower is tested and used to stay quit - at the pub on a night out, at work and at home with a partner who still smokes.

It is based on research compiled by the Cancer Institute NSW regarding smokers and their attempts to quit that showed:

  • Two thirds of smokers wish to quit smoking in the next six months, but find it difficult, with many smokers requiring multiple quit attempts before successfully quitting for good.
  • 56 per cent of smokers believe they can successfully quit using willpower, without the need for replacement therapies.
  • 60 per cent of smokers want to quit over this New Year period.

Head of Prevention at Cancer Institute NSW Anita Dessaix said the campaign aims to increase smokers' confidence in their ability to quit by highlighting how pivotal willpower can be to any quit attempt.

Ms Dessaix said the campaign was deliberately timed to hit TV and cinema screens during the Christmas and New Year Period.

"The festive season is traditionally a time of breaking bad habits and bringing in new ones and there will be thousands of smokers across the State will be considering kicking the habit for good in 2011," Ms Dessaix said.

"Many of these begin as a new year's resolution or through an attempt to get fit and active again after indulging over the holidays.

"Whatever the reason, this campaign will empower these smokers to tackle their quit attempt head on by highlighting that even though resisting cigarettes initially may be tough, the longer you go without a cigarette, the stronger your willpower can grow and the easier it becomes to stay away from them for good."

The campaign follows the launch of the innovative iCanQuit website earlier this month (www.icanquit.com.au), which aims to give smokers the upper hand in their attempt to quit.

The website provides all the tips and tools a smoker needs to quit, such as a savings calculator, goal-tracker and a blog populated by other smokers' quit attempts at their fingerprints.

Ms Dessaix said the campaign and website reflect the commitment of the NSW Government through the Cancer Institute of NSW to continue to drive down smoking rates across NSW.

"There are more than 900,000 adult smokers in NSW and smoking is still the biggest cause of cancer and one of the biggest killers in NSW. Eighteen people die every day in NSW due to smoking," Ms Dessaix said.

"Through campaigns and tougher regulations such as banning smoking inn children in cars, point-of-sale display and restricting smoking in public areas we have a very real opportunity in the coming years to make significant inroads into the prevalence of smoking related illnesses within the community.

"The key is to continue to remind, encourage and support smokers to quit and to continue to advertise to them how important it is to kick the habit once and for all.

"It is tough to quit, but is also one of the best things you can do for your long term health."

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