To mark No Smoking Day, the British Heart Foundation has rolled out a campaign with Blippar which aims to show smokers how much money they could save by giving up the habit, instead of focussing on the health aspect.
Those who blipp their packet of cigarettes will see it erupt in a cloud of digital smoke before being replaced with 3D representations of items the smoker could buy with the money saved if they quit.
Betty McBride, director of policy and communications at the BHF, commented: “The tobacco giants are notoriously protective about their slick cigarette packaging – here’s a bit of slick that does some good for once. We need to up our game if we are going to help people beat their addiction to tobacco by finding new ways to reach out to them. We want to help the two thirds of smokers who tell us repeatedly that they’re desperate to quit.”
The project is the first time ever that product packaging has been hijacked using augmented-reality for a charity campaign, with the Blippar code working by recognising the government health warning on cigarette packs.
Jess Butcher, co-founder and CMO of Blippar, said:“This blipp is a great way of using new, innovative methods to engage people into a successful public health campaign. Every smoker carries a cigarette packet, so what better call to action than the pack itself inspiring you with the alternative ways you could spend your money. The British Heart Foundation is doing a phenomenal job in promoting healthier lifestyles and it’s great that they have harnessed British technology in such a revolutionary way to help spread their message.
“We know through Blippar analytics that blipps often go viral as people demonstrate it to one another. We are certain that the ‘wow’ factor of the technology will help to drive home the British Heart Foundation’s message on No Smoking Day.”