Tips® Impact and Results
The Tips From Former Smokers® (Tips®) campaign shows real people living with serious long-term health effects from smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. Tips also features compelling stories from family members who take care of loved ones affected by a smoking-related disease or disability.
To learn more about the background of the Tips campaign, visit the About the Campaign web page.
- From 2012–2018, CDC estimates that more than 16.4 million people who smoke have attempted to quit and approximately one million have successfully quit because of the Tips campaign.1
- Smokers who have seen Tips ads report greater intentions to quit within the next 30 days, and smokers who have seen the ads multiple times have even greater intentions to quit.2
- During 2012–2018, CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers campaign helped prevent an estimated 129,000 early deaths and helped save an estimated $7.3 billion in smoking-related healthcare costs.3
- For every $3,800 spent on the Tips campaign between 2012-2018, we prevented an early death. A cost-effectiveness studyexternal icon on the topic factored in smoking relapse, inflation, and advertising and evaluation costs.3
- In each campaign, there was an immediate, sustained and dramatic spike in calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW, and in visits to the campaign website.
“Thank you for the resources to quit smoking. I am 4 months smokefree after 25 years of smoking. I still use the Quitstart app. The TV commercials showing how smoking affects health of real people was a reality check for me and prompted my teenage son to take notice. The campaign has made a difference in my life.”
—Comment received in Tips campaign inbox
“I just want to thank you for the smoking commercials that I see every morning while I am getting ready for work. They made me quit smoking after 40 years. Now I run on the treadmill before work instead of smoking on my patio. It’s been almost a year. Thank you!!”
—Comment received in Tips campaign inbox
“Your commercials on TV inspired both me and my wife to quit smoking. Over a year now smoke free. Thank you. Thank you. Please keep them on TV!”
—Comment received in Tips campaign inbox
- Murphy-Hoefer R, Davis KC, King BA, Beistle D, Rodes R, Graffunder C. Association between the Tips From Former Smokers Campaign and Smoking Cessation Among Adults, United States, 2012–2018. Preventing Chronic Disease 2020;17:200052.
- Kevin Davis, MA; Deesha Patel, MPH; Paul Shafer, MA; Jennifer Duke, PhD; Rebecca Glover-Kudon, PhD; William Ridgeway, MA; Shanna Cox, MSPH. Association Between Media Doses of the Tips From Former Smokers Campaign and Cessation Behaviors and Intentions to Quit Among Cigarette Smokers, 2012-2015external icon. Health Education & Behavior: May 12, 2017.
- Shrestha SS, Davis K, Mann N, Taylor N, Nonnemaker J, Murphy-Hoefer R, Trivers KF, King BA, Babb S, Armour BS. Cost Effectiveness of the Tips From Former Smokers Campaign—United States, 2012−2018external icon. American Journal of Preventive Medicine; 2021