Campaign activity
The Department of Health and the Welsh Assembly Government are working together to raise awareness and ensure the smooth introduction of the change in legislation. The change in the age of sale has been communicated to businesses selling tobacco, teenagers affected by the law, the general public and stakeholder groups.
The activity has been divided into four stages:
Stage One (May – June 2007)
In this stage the Department of Health engaged with the retail industry, health groups, compliance organisations, and the accredited proof of age schemes, to find the best ways to build awareness amongst their membership.
Stage Two (July 2007)
Further engagement with the groups mentioned above, as well as schools, colleges and youth organisations took place in stage two. In addition a website for businesses was launched and a mailing was sent to retailers with higher volumes of 16-17 year old customers.
Stage Three (August – September 2007)
A second mailing was sent out in September to over 100,000 retailers in England and Wales. This included a toolkit and signage, which is available to download from this website. Work with stakeholder organisations and media relations continued, and activity targeting teenagers began, including the launch of a dedicated website, online advertising and work with consumer magazines.
Stage Four (September – October 2007)
This stage of the campaign focused on reminding retailers and teenagers of the change in the law. An outdoor poster advertising campaign was launched in September at targeted locations, including local convenience stores where teenagers buy cigarettes.
For more detail about the campaign, and for the key information that retailers and teenagers need to know, visit the Factsheets section.
