As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce the harm of our products, our Cessation Support department is helping smokers who have decided to quit be more successful. In September 2004, we introduced information resources on how to quit smoking under the trademark QuitAssist®.
The
QuitAssist® resources are designed to highlight the U.S. Public Health Service’s “5 keys to quitting” and to help connect smokers who have decided to quit to the wealth of expert quitting information offered by public health authorities and others.
The information on the QuitAssist® website was written and edited by Cheryl K. Olson, Sc.D., a public health writer, in conjunction with a review board with expertise in the area of smoking cessation. QuitAssist® resources are available online in both
English and
Spanish.
Philip Morris USA has used a variety of methods to raise awareness of the QuitAssist® website among smokers including on-pack messaging, online advertising, television, print and radio.
Since 2004, we have periodically attached onserts (small leaflets) to PM USA cigarette brand packings. Over 1.1 billion onserts have been distributed directly to smokers throughout the United States.
PM USA continues to advertise the QuitAssist® resource online with the primary purpose of driving traffic directly to the QuitAssist® website. These advertisements, first introduced in January 2005, have periodically been placed on a variety of Web sites in the United States with the intention of reaching the adult smoker audience.
QuitAssist® print advertising was first introduced in national magazines in November 2004 to increase awareness about the quitting process and highlight the availability of QuitAssist®. All QuitAssist® print advertisements feature successful quitters and the stated length of time they were "smoke-free".
QuitAssist® English-language television advertising was first introduced in March 2005 with the primary purpose of increasing awareness of QuitAssist® and encouraging use of the resources for smokers who have decided to quit. These advertisements featured real successful quitters and their quitting methods and were periodically aired on national network and cable television. Spanish-language television advertising was introduced in January 2007.
