Marketing guru Russel Howcroft has slammed the Federal Government's new anti-vaping campaign in his latest podcast episode.
Speaking on the 'AdMission' podcast, the radio host and advertising expert criticised the Federal Government's approach in its new national campaign targeting young people who vape.
The campaign uses the threat of social harm, not cancer, to get its message across, ditching the distressing, graphic images of people dying in hospital beds seen in previous anti-smoking campaigns.
Asked by co-host Freddie Young what he thought about the campaign's endline 'Why Are We Still Doing This?' Howcroft replied: "Honestly, it makes no sense."
READ MORE: Vaping substantially increases heart failure risk, massive new US study finds
"It's also like the Government is complaining that it's doing advertising. Like they're going, why are we still in a position that we've got to advertise a health message?"
"You've got to scare people. In a changing how people behave campaign, you have to scare people.
"Vaping is a nicotine delivery system. Nicotine is as addictive as heroin. That is not me being over the top, that is true" he said.
The Federal Government's $63.4 million 'Give Up For Good' campaign includes four separate approaches which hope to raise awareness of the health harms of smoking and vaping, and encourage Australians to take advantage of quit support services.
The campaigns will run across tv, social media, gaming, radio and out-of-home channels like billboards, shopping centres and bus shelters.
The advertising will run until December 2024 and is part of a multi-year investment, with future phases of advertising planned.
Russel Howcroft is the co-host of 3AW's Breakfast program and the 'AdMission'
Podcast. New episodes of 'AdMission' are available every Tuesday on Spotify and
Apple Podcasts.
