Background:
Tobacco use among youngsters has declined in recent decades, but research shows that still 1 in 20 Flemish youth aged 12–15 years smokes regularly. Among youngsters in vocational education, this number is significantly higher (16.3%). Efforts to prevent adolescents from taking up smoking remain essential, but youngsters are hard to reach with traditional awareness campaigns.

Objective:
Create a campaign that does appeal to youth aged 12–15 years (target group: youngsters in vocational education since smoking rates are highest amongst them), that makes smoking less cool within the target group and empowers youngsters to say no to cigarettes.

Methods:
We employ an approach that includes: 1) qualitative research of target group and their media consumption; 2) development of creative concepts and a corresponding media plan; 3) qualitative evaluation of the developed concepts by the target group; and 4) launching of campaign followed by quantitative evaluation and adjustment.

Results:
In 2021, we launched a campaign in collaboration with popular Flemish gaming and TikTok influencers who disseminated messages on the negative consequences of smoking on their own channels. A campaign by youngsters for youngsters. Everything happens in their own world and interests, via their favorite social media channels, in their own language. Evaluation of the campaign revealed that both #WhatTheSmoke (the campaign on TikTok) and #RIProken (on gaming platforms) were much appreciated by the target group. Respectively, 75% (#WhatTheSmoke) and 66% (#RIProken; ‘roken’ = smoking) rated the campaign as good to very good. Furthermore, 73% of the target group indicates that the campaign makes smoking less cool and 70% thinks it can convince youngsters not to start smoking. Based on the evaluation, the campaign will be adjusted and relaunched in 2022.

Conclusions:
Collaboration with influencers resulted in a successful campaign to keep youngsters from smoking but the challenge is to reach a sufficiently large audience since information on social media is overwhelming.