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New ‘quit smoking’ campaign launched

11/16/2007

Quitting smoking is a challenge that is not for sprinters. Rather, it’s a call for those who take a step-by-step pace. And as the classic fable on tortoise and hare has taught us, a steady approach may always be the wisest approach to win the race.

In the United States, this has become Pfizer’s approach in launching the new varenicline tartrate ads through branded direct-to-consumer advertising. The ads were launched last Sept. 24 to show smokers that quitting is not easy and often requires multiple attempts and a behavioral support program. Varenicline tartrate is a prescription medicine that helps adults quit smoking.

Earlier, unbranded advertisements were shown to the public to generate curiosity on the link between the famous fable and the attempt to quit smoking. Pfizer even aired special commercials featuring a tortoise and a hare walking down a red carpet during the Emmy Awards.

But the centerpiece is a 60-second TV ad opening with the images of the two fable characters at the beginning of a winding green road. Viewers then hear a voice-over saying, “If you’ve tried more than once to quit smoking, you know it’s a challenge that’s not for sprinters. If only you could manage to stay on that quitting road.”

In the Philippines, Pfizer, in partnership with the Philippine College of Chest Physicians, has also engaged with consumers more meaningfully through its “Treat to Quit” ad. Launched last September, the smoking cessation ad shows that smokers can beat their habit by seeking medical assistance to treat their nicotine dependence.

The campaign for this innovative medicine aims to change how smokers think about quitting. Through this campaign, Pfizer is hoping that more smokers will have the drive to quit, knowing that there’s help available for them.

Pfizer is committed to helping people improve their health by discovering and developing innovative medicines like varenicline tartrate. Pfizer’s search for new treatments spans hundreds of research projects across 18 therapeutic areas. Approximately 13,000 scientists and support staff work in nine research and development facilities in five countries to discover new medicines. In 2006, Pfizer invested about $7.566 billion in research and development, the largest investment by a private biomedical research organization.