Special Features

CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers: Anti-smoking campaign launches seventh year

CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers campaign resumes for 25 weeks on April 23, 2018. The 15- and 30-second ads will air nationally on television, online, and in print advertisements. Markets that have higher rates of cigarette smoking will have additional airings and advertisements for increased awareness.

Tips From Former Smokers will release new ads featuring:

• Brian, 63, an Air Force veteran, had his first heart attack at age 35, while on assignment overseas. He quit smoking in 2009 and received a heart transplant in July 2012. In January 2017, Brian was diagnosed with lung cancer and had part of his lung removed.
• Christine, 55, began smoking at age 16. At age 44, she was diagnosed with oral cancer, which eventually required doctors to remove half of her jaw.
• Sharon, 58, began smoking at age 13. In 1997, at age 37, she was diagnosed with stage IV throat cancer.
• Tiffany, 40, started smoking at 19, even though her mother, a smoker, died of lung cancer. Tiffany quit smoking in 2011—wanting to be around for her own teenage daughter.

In each campaign, there was an immediate, sustained and dramatic spike in calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW"", and in visits to the campaign website.

Since 2012, CDC estimates that millions of Americans have tried to quit smoking cigarettes because of the campaign, and at least half a million have quit for good.

In addition, in the first year of the campaign alone, an estimated 6 million nonsmokers talked with friends and family about the dangers of smoking.

Tips is cost-effective. Economic analysis of the Tips campaign has shown that for every $2,000 we spend on the ads, we prevent a death.

Source: cdc.gov

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