I Will Survive - HSE | Clapboard Ad Archive
HSE’s 2017 QUIT campaign I Will Survive, developed by BBDO and rooted in the Irish public service sector, marks a pivotal communications moment by celebrating a transformative milestone: for the first time, there are now more quitters than smokers in Ireland, reframing the narrative around smoking cessation from one of struggle to one of collective survival and empowerment. Anchored by the emotionally charged power of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive and featuring a cast of real-life ex-smokers, the campaign employs what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#7—Presenter Testimonial, foregrounding lived experience and direct-to-camera honesty as its central creative device. Rejecting sensationalism, dramatization, and celebrity appeal, these testimonials deliver raw, authentic stories of reckoning, courage, and perseverance—some subjects caught in the throes of quitting, others reflecting with unguarded candor on the harm exacted by tobacco over their lives. The campaign deftly positions the act of quitting not as an isolated struggle but as a growing, supportive movement, visually and tonally aligning quitters into a kind of resistance army galvanized by shared purpose and underpinned by a sense of national pride. Communications strategy is tightly integrated—beyond television and radio execution, the campaign leverages the credibility of real stories to drive viewers to www.quit.ie, pairing emotional resonance with evidence-based resources such as personalized quit plans and professional support via the QUIT Team, signaling a holistic commitment to behavioral change. By uniting these elements, I Will Survive transcends public health messaging’s cautionary tactics, instead using music, message, and community identity to destigmatize smoking cessation and embed the idea that survival, in its purest sense, is both aspirational and achievable. The campaign garnered more than 184,000 views, underscoring how its mix of relatability and reach has reshaped the social meaning of quitting in Ireland. Clapboard rates this 69/100. For the industry, I Will Survive signals that the most enduring public interest work now draws its emotional power from authenticity and participation, showing that collective milestones can be both cause for celebration and a call to collective action.
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