Nearly 7 million UK adults still smoke, and more than half believe vaping is as harmful as smoking, or worse. For Stoptober, we helped the UK Vaping Industry Association tackle that misperception, built around a new campaign with the Smoke Free app equipping staff at more than 200 NHS trusts to help patients switch from cigarettes to vaping. We put the UKVIA's director general on air alongside a stop smoking expert from the Smoke Free app, across a day of radio and TV interviews, explaining that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking. The broadcast PR campaign secured 14 items of radio and TV coverage reaching 10.3 million people, including Sky News TV, GB News and Sky News Radio.
14Items of coverage
10.3 millionCombined reach
1h 49mTime on air
Coverage highlights
Sky News RadioNational news network
Sky News TVTV
Radio News HubNational news network
GB NewsTV
BBC Radio LeicesterBBC radio
Listen
GB News · 4m 16s
BBC Radio Leicester · 7m 10s
0:00 / 7m 10s
Radio News Hub · 8m 57s
0:00 / 8m 57s
The story
UK Vaping Industry Association, Stoptober
The aim
UK Vaping Industry Association wanted to highlight vaping as a far less harmful way for adult smokers to quit and counter misperceptions putting smokers off switching.
The message
Misperceptions about the relative harm of smoking and vaping are putting adult smokers off switching. Vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking and has helped 2.4 million people quit cigarettes for good.
The angle
During Stoptober, the UKVIA and the Smoke Free app launched a campaign equipping staff at more than 200 NHS trusts to help patients switch from cigarettes to vaping. Nearly 7 million UK adults still smoke, and more than half believe vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking.
On air
The UK Vaping Industry Association's director general, alongside a stop smoking expert from the Smoke Free app
The result
14 items of coverage reaching 10.3 million, including Sky News Radio, Sky News TV, Radio News Hub, GB News.
About Stoptober
Stoptober is the government's stop smoking campaign in England, first run by the Department of Health in 2012. It challenges smokers to quit for the 28 days of October, because people who stop for 28 days are five times more likely to quit for good. Stations plan their coverage of it in advance, which makes it a strong hook for a broadcast PR campaign.
Planning Stoptober for 2027?
Stoptober next runs through October 2027. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.
