How Quit vaping campaign is reminding Victorians of health harms

Quit is using real stories of vaping-related health harms to remind young Victorians that every vape can come at a cost.

The campaign, Every Vape Is a Hit to Your Health, focuses on people who have experienced serious health issues linked to vaping, including chest pain, breathing difficulties, severe migraines, hospitalisation, fitness impacts and nicotine addiction.

The campaign, which launched earlier this month, is aimed at Victorians aged 18 to 39 and is designed to make the health risks of vaping feel immediate and personally relevant.

It follows a University of New South Wales-led review that found nicotine vaping is likely to cause lung and oral cancer, adding urgency to public health efforts around non-therapeutic vaping.

With media strategy and execution by Spark Foundry Australia and creative by Bastion in conjunction with Cancer Institute New South Wales, the campaign is being pushed across social, programmatic out-of-home, ride-share and mobile environments.

The media approach is designed to reach young people in the moments and places where vaping has become normalised, including while socialising, in transit and near stores that may potentially be selling illegal vaping products.

Social media is acting as the campaign’s primary reach driver, while a data-led out-of-home approach is being used to reach people near moments of purchase consideration.

The broader campaign also includes influencer partnerships, a personalised campaign landing page on the Quit website, and music and dining content partnerships.

Kelly Dienaar, head of media and communications, prevention at Cancer Council Victoria, said behaviour-change campaigns such as Every Vape Is a Hit to Your Health play a critical role in cancer prevention.

“Behaviour change campaigns like Every Vape Is a Hit to Your Health play a critical role in cancer prevention by helping people understand the risks of vaping through lived experiences, bringing those health concerns to life and strengthening motivation to make more informed decisions about quitting,” Dienaar said.

“This campaign makes those risks feel immediate, while showing that quitting is both possible and achievable with support. With mounting evidence linking vaping to oral and lung cancer, it is essential we find new methods to effectively reach and engage audiences in ways that resonate, shift perceptions and inspire action.”

Quit director Rachael Andersen said awareness campaigns remain important, but warned education alone is not enough while illicit vaping products remain readily available.

“Ensuring vapes are not in convenience stores, sold near schools and in high street shops, will also help reduce the appeal of these products to young people,” Andersen said.

“We’ve long held concerns about the gateway effect of vaping to smoking. And now research shows that vaping likely causes cancer and is harmful in its own right.”

Olia Krivtchoun, chief client service officer at Spark Foundry Australia, said the campaign is designed to meet young people in the environments where vaping behaviour is shaped.

“This campaign is designed to meet young people in the environments where vaping has become common,” Krivtchoun said.

“In partnership with Quit, we’re challenging the normalisation of vaping by placing messaging directly into the contexts where behaviours are shaped, intercepting audiences at key moments of intent. It’s a strong example of how strategic paid media can drive meaningful public health conversations.”

Under federal laws passed in 2024, non-therapeutic vapes can only legally be sold through pharmacies for smoking cessation after a consultation with a pharmacist.

Quit has also called for stronger enforcement powers in Victoria, warning that illicit vaping products remain readily available despite national restrictions.

The campaign will run across Victoria until mid-July.