It seems like there’s always so much attention paid to the negative impacts of smoking, but little attention has been given to the positive impacts of quitting smoking–that is until now. In a new interactive campaign Arnold, New York, and GlaxoSmithKline have teamed up to introduce a new reason for women to give up smoking–the beauty benefits. Not only will their lungs breathe easier when they kick the habit, but so will their skin.
Research showed that women understand that smoking damages their appearance, however they didn’t realize that quitting could actually have positive effects on their skin. The realization inspired them to quit.
“The fact is that most people don’t know that quitting smoking can help improve your skin. Every year women spend millions of dollars on beauty products to improve their appearance but actually if they quit smoking and really do it, that’s going to make the biggest difference of all. People don’t know that. It’s both shocking and obvious at the same time,” said Sasha Koren, executive creative director at Arnold.
Through print ads in magazines such as Cosmo, Allure and Vogue. and a website, nicodermcq.com, GSK’s NicodermCQ “Beauty of Quitting” campaign seeks to alert women to the positive effects quitting smoking has on the health of their skin and as a result, turn the quitting experience into something to look forward to.
The print ads point out things like limiting smoker’s lines, preventing grey skin, deleting toxins and avoiding vitamin loss, but Koren explained that the website provides a deeper exploration of the campaign’s educational component.
“One of the things we are trying to do with the web is give the user an additional benefit,” related Koren. “When you go online, the mindset and the behavior is different than when you see something in an ad. It’s much more about taking action and moving forward than it is about having a perceptual change. We are looking to pay that off with personalized information and really helping users get something for themselves.”
For instance, the website features a personalized beauty assessment tool to help visitors see how smoking has affected their skin’s health over the years and find out what they can do to stop the damage.
“Not only does it provide credible advice, but advice that is for them and not for the general public,” said Koren, adding that this lends itself to the viral aspect of the campaign.
“When you provide something of real value to themselves, they will talk about it. It’s got to be meaningful to the user first and then they will pass it on.”
The site also features in-depth information about NicodermCQ and a contest to win a $500 cosmetics gift card, as well as a section where visitors can click on various areas of the face to reveal more beauty benefits of quitting.
One of the key components that contributes to the stickiness of the site is a 10-week beauty e-mail program designed to last the length of the NicodermCQ program.
Visitors sign up and receive an e-mail each week related to beauty tips and general health, really extending the beauty of the quitting message.
The biggest challenge in sharing that message throughout a campaign with multiple touch points is maintaining consistency of voice. To achieve that objective, Koren explained that the Arnold team decided to use the same writer for the offline and online work.
Overall the challenges did not outweigh the satisfaction everyone felt working on the “Beauty of Quitting” campaign.
“This program is really something for the good of people. The projects I find most rewarding are the ones where you are not just selling a product–you are doing something that is going to benefit people’s lives,” Koren said.
Director Dag Johan Haugerud’s “Dreams (Sex Love)” Wins Top Prize At The Berlin Film Festival
A Norwegian film about love, desire and self-discovery won top honors at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday.
A jury headed by American director Todd Haynes awarded the Golden Bear trophy to "Dreams (Sex Love)" by director Dag Johan Haugerud.
Haynes called it a "meditation on love" that "cuts you to the quick with its keen intelligence."
The film focuses on a teenager played by Ella Øverbyer, infatuated with her female French teacher, and the reactions of her mother and grandmother when they discover her private writings. It's the third part of a trilogy Haugerud has completed in the past year. "Sex" premiered at Berlin in 2024, and "Love" was screened at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
The runner-up Silver Bear prize went to Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro's dystopian drama "The Blue Trail." Argentine director Ivan Fund's rural saga "The Message" won the third-place Jury Prize.
The best director prize went to Huo Meng for "Living the Land," set in fast-changing 1990s China.
Rose Byrne was named best performer for her role as an overwhelmed mother in the Mary Bronstein-directed "If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You." Andrew Scott won the supporting performer trophy for playing composer Richard Rodgers in Richard Linklater's "Blue Moon."
The climax of the festival known as the Berlinale came on the eve of Germany's parliamentary elections after a campaign dominated by migration and the economy.
The national election is being held seven months early, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition collapsed in a dispute about how to revitalize the country's economy.
Efforts to curb migration have emerged as a central issue in the campaign — along with the question of how to handle the... Read More