2012 Bronze Best use of mobile

Client Department of Health

How did the campaign make a difference? This campaign proved that great copywriting can inspire people to live healthier, longer lives. 6,025 smokers signed up for SMS support. After four weeks 1,211 (20%) of registrants were still smokefree.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? The Txt2stop trial conducted by Dr Cari Free, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, showed that SMS support helped 11% of smokers to quit, compared with 5% of a control group. The NHS Smokefree pilot SMS service messaging framework was based on behavioural change thinking from leading smoking cessation experts, including Dr Robert West from University College London. It set out motivational and practical support under four behavioural change pillars, informed by insights from Dr Free. Messages were matched to crisis points when lapses are most likely to occur, and the triggers (e.g. boredom or peer pressure) associated with these times. Participants could also access on-demand messages to help with lapses, cravings, and worries about weight gain. Because smokers are five times more likely to quit for good if they get through the first 28 days, 80% of messages were sent in that crucial period.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? The text copywriter’s imaginary audience was a friend who wanted to give up smoking, and who had tried – and failed – many times. His messages followed the strategic framework exactly, but not one was formulaic or impersonal. One read, “Don't let things get on top of you. If you feel irritable, try to keep active, cut down on caffeine and breathe deeply. You have the power.” An overwhelming 83% of participants said the messages had helped their quit attempt. As one participant said, “I stopped receiving the messages two days ago and I really miss them!”

Results On day 29 of the programme, participants were asked if they were smoking again. Of the 6,025 who signed up, 3,133 (52%) were still receiving messages. An impressive 56% of those (1,625) responded, and of these 75% (1,211) told us that they were still quit. That’s a success rate (claimed by participants) of 20% of registrants. In research, 83% of participants said that the messages had helped their quit attempt. The total cost per registration was just £6.13, making the cost per quit £30.50; this is calculated to represent an ROI of 1.83 over one year (based on the accepted savings to the NHS) with a predicted ROI of 5.23 over three years.

Team Phil Cragg, Flic Theobald, James Balmond, Caroline Fox, Adrian Robertson

Other contributors Call Credit – SMS database management, Dr Cari Free