The Brief

Smoking is one of the biggest causes of premature deaths in Malaysia. The most worrying fact is Malaysian youths aged 18-40, who are the pulse of the nation, make up the highest number of smokers in the country. Bank Simpanan Nasional wanted youths to quit smoking, as it was robbing the nation of valuable young talent. We realized the youths of today love their material possessions and hedonistic lifestyle more than anything else. Hence, we wanted to make a simple truth evident to our target audience: They are losing money for their material possessions to cigarettes.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

To dramatize this, we created cigarettes made out of Malaysian currency. Branded it RM, the acronym for our national currency, and distributed the cigarette packs to youths via product sampling. Instead of cigarettes, youths found RM1 currency inside the pack, accompanied by inserts describing how much they could save and the cool stuff they could own if they quit smoking. To further motivate the cigarette-free lifestyle, we created a microsite with material targets. Here, youths were continuously motivated by the progress they were making towards their desired target, with the money saved from cigarettes.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

In just 8 months, the campaign earned more than 35,000 pledges to quit smoking. And the numbers are increasing every day. We engaged youths with a relevant idea that helped them decide against smoking. This, we believe, could reduce the number of premature deaths caused by critical illnesses associated with smoking. Plus, we also started the youths on the habit of saving.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

We made a simple truth evident to our target audience. We reminded them that they were literally burning money and at the same time, presented a compelling proposition so that they can further indulge in their hedonistic lifestyle. Bank Simpanan Nasional, a very traditional bank reached out and connected with youths through a campaign that had their interest at heart. The bank made youths reconsider their unhealthy habit and started them on the habit of saving.