The Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre Trust approached us to help solve a problem. The bylaws of the QEII Medical Centre do not allow smoking on site, and yet patients, staff and visitors are routinely seen smoking or vaping on the QE II grounds. The Trust wanted to reduce these incidents and to remind everyone that the campus is a smoke and vape-free venue through signage and posters around the campus.
We looked at what works and what doesn’t work in anti-smoking campaigns from research and other projects around the world. Graphic warnings and strong words do not have a positive effect on smoking, and strong language should also be avoided. We decided that a soft approach was the right one, and along with the headline, we created illustrations of wildlife native to the area: the long-neck turtle and a red-tailed black cockatoo. The QR code directed people to the internet page that explained why the restriction was in place.
Our client loved the posters so much that they requested coffee cups to be made from them.
There is no data collected on the levels of smoking before and afterwards, but anecdotal evidence suggests a drop in smoking occurrences.
