The Australian Government has launched its first ever anti-vaping advertising campaign.
It is also the first time in nearly a decade that it has produced a nation-wide smoking campaign, and the first time TikTok will be used in a campaign.
The Government is spending about $65 million on the campaign.
Vaping
Government data suggests that about 3.3 million Australians vaped and/or smoked in 2022.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, people aged 18-24 are the most likely to vape daily. The number of people in this age group who vape has quadrupled since 2019.
Vaping is also more common in young females than in young males.
Government anti-vaping campaign
The Government’s new campaign is called ‘Give Up For Good’. It will run across television, digital video and audio, social media, gaming, radio, cinema, billboards, and more.
It will run until the end of 2024, and be separated into four streams:
- Young people who vape
- Adults who vape
- Adults who smoke
- First Nations adults who smoke
Youth focus
The ad targeted to young people who vape focuses on messages of addiction and social isolation, rather than the health implications of vaping.
During a press conference this morning, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said this was due to research about what messaging resonated with young people.
“Young people are often quite shocked if they start vaping because of a bit of peer group pressure… they’re shocked by the time they realise that they’re addicted, they’re really struggling with this and that is the focus of these ads.”
Influencers
It follows the first phase of an influencer-led anti-vaping campaign that launched earlier this year, which included cricketer Ellyse Perry, Olympic diver Sam Fricker and content creator Ella Watkins.
The Government says the influencer content has been viewed nearly 8 million times.
When asked if taxpayers got their value for money out of the campaign, Butler said: “This is the space that young people are getting their information from. Frankly, those are the people young people are listening to, not me so much unfortunately.”
Opposition
In response to the campaign launch, Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston told TDA: “The Coalition’s primary goal is to prevent Australian children from having access to vaping products and becoming addicted to vapes.
“Campaign such as the one released by the Government are only effective when combined with strong and effective enforcement efforts.”
New law
At the start of this year, a new law banning the import of all disposable vapes came into effect.
There is further legislation currently before parliament to ban the importation, manufacture, supply and commercial possession of all non-therapeutic vapes (not just disposable ones). Therapeutic vapes purchased through a pharmacy would still be permitted.
The bill is due to be voted at the end of the month, and is due to come into effect from 1 July.
