Break the Cycle Anti-Tobacco Campaign

Posted by City of Philadelphia on August 1, 2016

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) is launching a dynamic, regional tobacco industry de-normalization mass media campaign called “Break the Cycle.” We would like your assistance is spreading the word about this unique campaign to your networks and contacts.

This campaign runs from July 1st to September 30th 2016 and seeks to reach low-income African American adults aged 18-25 years who are disproportionately exposed to targeted tobacco industry marketing and have high rates of smoking and smoking-related death in their communities.

The campaign will draw from real tobacco industry quotes and local data to inform Philadelphians about tobacco industry manipulation and the industry’s role in promoting smoking among adults and youth in Philadelphia. Philadelphians will be encouraged to:

• Talk to their children about tobacco industry marketing

• Shop at tobacco-free stores

• Ask their store owners to remove tobacco marketing or to stop selling tobacco products

• Share the campaign and the campaign materials with their friends, family, places of worship, and stores

• Organize a community meeting. Contact [email protected]

• Quit smoking or don’t start smoking

• Stop illegal tobacco sales by calling 1-888-99-SMOKE or visiting http://smokefreephilly.org/report-illegal-activity/

The Break the Cycle campaign will run in the Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania region and will utilize radio, transit, digital/social media, and print media formats. PDPH will coordinate community meetings with key stakeholders and thought leaders to discuss the campaign and to help neighborhoods strategize about how to fight back against tobacco industry marketing. Notably, few large US cities have done similar campaigns. Please see the attached sample campaign materials. For more information about this campaign, including downloadable materials and a community toolkit, visit http://smokefreephilly.org/media-and-news/about-the-break-the-cycle-campaign/break-the-cycle-campaign/

To further illustrate the adverse impact of tobacco industry influence on vulnerable communities in Philadelphia, PDPH will also be releasing:

• Break the Cycle Fact and FAQ sheet.

• An interactive Story Map about tobacco marketing in Philadelphia (http://smokefreephilly.org/storymap/)

• The next edition of a new PDPH publication, CHART, focused on disparate tobacco marketing in low-income communities and near schools. (http://www.phila.gov/health/pdfs/CHART%20v1e2.pdf)