Decision

To approve a spend for £1675 from the Smokefree Generation Grant to fund targeted media advertising on three supermarket digital screens across a two-week period.

Reasons for the decision

a. Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable ill health and premature death in Wiltshire. Currently, adults smoking prevalence is 8.4%, a reduction from 10.4% in recent years. However, significant smoking related health inequalities persist, and reducing these inequalities remains a key priority of the Wiltshire Tobacco Control Alliance.
b. To support this aim, an opportunity to increase awareness of local stop smoking services has been identified through three digital advertising screens located within supermarkets. Supermarkets attract high volumes of residents on a regular basis, including those who may not actively seek information or support on healthcare.
c. This activity aligns with the objectives of the Smokefree Generation Grant by increasing awareness of local stop smoking support and encouraging quit attempts among populations with higher smoking prevalence.
d. A recent survey of 1,600 smokers across the Southwest found that 47% reported visiting a supermarket or high street shop several times per week, with a further 13% reporting daily visits. These locations were visited more frequently than public transport, GP, pharmacies or community venues such as libraries and leisure centre.
e. In September, Wiltshire launched the ‘Take A Break for Your Lungs’ campaign, focusing on reaching those in routine and manual occupations. Health Coaches visited over 150 businesses and paid meta-ads were used to reach individuals experiencing greater inequalities. Evidence from the campaign demonstrates that paid media activity can significantly increase reach, with the campaign reaching over 51,000 individuals, with 31,000 impressions within the first week.
f. Wiltshire Public Health is looking to pilot additional out of home media channels to further increase reach and awareness. Based on the findings from the southwest survey, supermarket screens were shown to attract the most footfall and ability to repeatedly exposure residents to stop smoking messages.
g. The advertising will utilise existing assets from the ‘Take a Break for Your Lungs’ campaign. To continue focus on individuals experiencing higher smoking related health inequalities, the proposed advertising locations are Trowbridge, Salisbury and Tidworth. The total cost for all three locations is £1,675 and will allow for comparisons between locations.

See the attached document for considerations in line with Wiltshire Council’s Constitution.

Alternative options considered

Other options including meta-ads have already been utilised. Enquiries were made into bus advertising and radio advertising; however both were more costly that supermarket screen and therefore not proceeded with at this time.