Cancer Society of Finland's Campaign Brings a Different Kind of Pandemic to Light

Smoking is a pandemic that has lasted for decades with no end in sight. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) smoking increases the risk of a severe illness from Covid-19. 

“During the first wave of the pandemic we paid attention to an alarming trend of people smoking through holes they have made on their facial masks. Since then, things have progressed and tutorials on how to do it can be found all over the internet. This goes to show that more communication around the dangers of smoking is needed – especially during times like these. As a public health organisation, we see it as our responsibility to stress the need for people to keep safe. Our campaign sends out a clear message: wear a mask, but also decrease your risks by not smoking”, says Juha Heino, Health from the Cancer Society of Finland. 

Smoking is a major cause of cancer, as well as many others, such as cardiovascular and lung diseases. Recently, the linkages between smoking and corona disease have raised concern. Campaign was planned and executed together with advertising agency TBWA\ Helsinki. Pictures were taken by Koski Syväri Agency and the post-production was handled at FLC Helsinki.

”Past year has shown us how vulnerable we are as species. That is for example why the wellness trend is now on the rise. Smoking is known to weaken our immune system and make our bodies less successful at fighting diseases, so this is an effective time to remind the public about the risks of smoking and provoke smokers into quitting”, explains Creative Director Erno Reinikainen from TBWA\ Helsinki.

The campaign can be seen online, outdoors and in print during this week.