QuitlineNC
Health and Wellness Trust Fund
The NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) is committed to helping North Carolinians live healthier lives. At the top of its priority list: curbing tobacco use. Young adults are the only age group in North Carolina among whom tobacco rates have actually increased. HWTF set out to help them quit with the help of a phone-based cessation program, QuitlineNC.
Research showed young adults were largely unaware of QuitlineNC – and skeptical. They had a slew of questions about the free tobacco cessation helpline. We set out to demystify the experience by letting callers listen in on a simulated first-time call, which we brought to life with rapid-fire typography animation.
Research showed authenticity is paramount for young adults. In our second QuitlineNC TV spot, we sought out young adult voice talent to represent the caller – and worked to strike a sympathetic, genuine and non-judgmental tone for the voice of the Quit Coach.
We rounded out our QuitlineNC campaign with radio spots that reinforced our message and shed light on the experience of quitting tobacco. A Spanish version of the radio spot broadened the reach of the message.
As soon as the QuitlineNC campaign launched, young adult call volume increased nine-fold. After the launch excitement faded, the campaign still sustained seven-fold increase in young adult calls. Hispanic calls, which had barely even registered in recent years, surged to 6 percent of the total volume.