Tobacco is the single largest cause of avoidable death in the European Union (EU) accounting for almost 700,000 deaths each year [1]. A further 13 million people in the EU suffer from serious diseases caused by smoking [2], such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) . One in four (26 %) of all deaths from cancer in the EU are caused by smoking, and smoking is responsible for 85 % of lung cancer deaths across the EU [3]. Even individuals who do not smoke can be affected by smoking and tobacco. It has been estimated that 79,000 non-smoking Europeans die each year as a result of exposure to second-hand smoke (passive smoking) [3].

Despite these figures, almost a third (28 %) of citizens across the EU currently smoke either cigarettes, cigars or a pipe, although one in every two smokers admits they would like to quit [1]. Socio-demographically, smokers are more likely to be male (32 %) than female (24 %), from lower social and economic groups and a younger demographic, with 28 million smokers falling within the 25–34-year-old age group [1].

Research shows that smokers who quit before the age of 35 have mortality rates similar to those who never smoked [1] and that 61 % of current smokers have tried to quit (58 % in the 25–39 age group) [2] but need support because they often struggle to stop completely.

With these figures in mind, the European Commission (EC) sought to redress the overwhelming burden of tobacco consumption across member states, tasking Saatchi & Saatchi Brussels to develop a campaign to specifically target 25–34-year-olds, given both the increased incidence of smoking and the increased potential for reversal of damage caused by smoking in this age group.

Thus, ‘Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable’ (‘Ex-Smokers’) was created, a 3-year, pan-European campaign that had, at its heart, two integral elements:

The first year of the ‘Ex-Smokers’ campaign was a great success, driven in part by a range of partnerships with corporate, social and sporting bodies, particularly with an emphasis on the latter in marathons and other races. These partnerships amplified the messages and helped to surpass all targets and objectives set for engagement and uptake of the iCoach tool. However, it was clear that more could and must be done to engage this ‘hard-to-reach’ audience, particularly with an emphasis on young males, given the higher incidence of smoking amongst this demographic.

With the demonstrable benefits of delivering health messages through sports to effect behavioural change, and the particularly connecting, community and loyalty-building abilities of football, with millions-strong fanbases and motivational figures, this was quickly identified as the ideal platform for the ‘Ex-Smokers’ message.

The ambition was set to take the ‘Ex-Smokers’ initiative from a campaign to a true movement that was both interruptive and inspiring with the potential to drive change, supporting young people to take steps to manage their own health. The critical element was identifying the ideal partner.

Barça quickly emerged as a leading ally, with one of the largest fanbases and social media followings around the world via Facebook and Twitter (more than 58 million and approximately 22 million respectively), its appeal transcending country borders and attracting dedicated and avid followers everywhere. Of greater importance is the culture of the club. Barça pride themselves on being more than a club (their motto: més que un club), and they demonstrate this by encouraging and supporting their fans to be as passionate about their health as they are about their heroes on the pitch through many social- and health-focused initiatives.

In January 2012, the Barça Board of Directors voted to implement a smoke-free stadium policy on their home ground, Camp Nou, under the banner, ‘Camp Nou Sense Fum’ (A smoke-free Camp Nou). Afterwards, the Assembly of Representatives of the club voted in favour and approved this initiative. In taking this pioneering step Barça became the first football club in all of Spain to address the issue of smoking directly with fans. The ‘Sense Fum’ initiative was a tangible demonstration of Barça’s ongoing commitment and dedication to their fans and is now a fully integrated element of the club’s ideology.

The aim in establishing a unique partnership between Barça and the EC was to harness the EC’s heritage in health awareness programmes and the power of their award-winning ‘Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable’ campaign, and channel this to Barça’s millions of fans. With ‘Quit Smoking With Barça’, there would be a platform to reach those who wish to quit smoking but lack motivation or guidance, and to help them gain that support from their football team. The decision of the club to make the Camp Nou stadium smoke-free was a pledge to help their fans live healthier lives, and ‘Quit Smoking With Barça’ aimed to convert the 90 min of smoke-free time when fans watch the game to the beginning of a smoke-free lifetime.

The creation of a partnership between one of the world’s largest institutions, the EC, and one of the most globally supported and recognised football clubs, Barça, sought to drive the health message of smoking cessation right across Europe, inspiring other clubs, institutions and individuals to join the quit-smoking-for-life movement.

The well-publicised ‘Barça Sense Fum’ initiative attracted the attention of the EC, who identified the club as the partner of choice for the ‘Ex-Smokers’ messages. The EC’s position as a leader in health initiatives and Barça’s commitment to the health of their fans united the partners in a shared goal of bettering the health of people across Europe and reducing the burden of tobacco-related disease and death.

Following a brief meeting between campaign organisers, Saatchi & Saatchi, Tonic Life Communications and Barça’s Jordi Monés, a shared vision emerged to disseminate both health information and practical guidance in a motivational and non-judgemental manner. With a mutual aim of reaching the men and women of Europe and effecting a measurable change in the health of the region, a partnership was established and planning for the new campaign was soon underway.

The campaign ‘Quit Smoking With Barça’ aimed to reach out to Barça’s own fanbase and fans of football more broadly with the message ‘The whole club supports you’. It was integral both to the EC and Barça, however, to ensure this message was backed up at every stage with actual support, guidance and tips for smokers. Representatives of Barça would commit to helping fans to kick the habit from all levels of the club: from the groundskeeper to the marketing manager, players, coach and club president. With ‘Quit Smoking with Barça’, truly, the whole club was going to support you to quit.

To achieve this ambition, the standard iCoach tool, a central component of the ‘Ex-Smokers’ campaign, needed to be adapted to integrate tailored messages, support, videos, tips and quotes from the staff and players of Barça.

In order to ensure the campaign was visible right across each country of the EU, it was necessary to support Barça’s communications through a combination of audio-visual elements (videos, player testimonials, images), paid advertising waves (through pan-European print and online media), and international PR efforts (local agencies in each country of the EU pitching the story to national media with tailored news angles).

As a project of the wider ‘Ex-Smokers’ campaign, the partnership fell within the budgetary scope of the EC’s 3-year anti-tobacco initiative and was further supplemented by Barça’s marketing department. The ‘Quit Smoking with Barça’ campaign is not a commercial partnership and has at no point involved a financial exchange: it is a commitment on behalf of both parties to join forces and maximise the impact of their respective existing campaigns.

The ‘Quit Smoking With Barça ’ campaign was coordinated and communicated by marketing and communications representatives of Barça and the consortium responsible for the ‘Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable’ campaign: Saatchi & Saatchi Brussels, led by Karen Smessaert, Tonic Life Communications, led by Orla Barnewell, Zenith Optimedia, BrandNewHealth and ESN.

The campaign integrated the same two central elements of the original ‘Ex-Smokers’ initiative: