This work demonstrates how an alternative approach to media channels and integration within elements can drive awareness and engagement within a low interest topic for a long period of time. To spread awareness of the world record of the youngest average smokers, Smoke-Free Future revitalized a century-old form of communication and raised a monument of shame: The Smoking Child. The monument of shame became a media format with an organic life attracting attention from public and media within every location she visits. She travels across Denmark until we no longer have the world record.

Smoke-Free Future work towards a 2030 goal of no children or young people smoking and only 5 % of adults. More than 279 organizations, businesses and institutions are already Smoke-Free Future partners, and the goal is to constantly increase numbers – a bottom-up approach for a continuous pressure on national policymakers. 94 of 98 Danish municipalities are now members.

Since 2017, Smoke-Free Future has worked to stop the vicious cycle of passing on the habit to the next generation. The subject had 64 press mentions in 2016 and more than 1.000 in 2019, where several bills – recommended by Smoke-Free Future – was passed into law. But the goal of a smoke-free generation in 2030 is still a long way away. Hence, the assignment for 2021 was to create a new burning platform – for mass comms. and lobbying efforts. We had to prove there’s still something to fight for.

An international research publication collected data from all around the world and proved surprisingly that the average smoking start in Denmark is just 16,4 years old, and every fourth smoker starts before the age of 14. That gives us a very unwanted world record of the youngest first-time smokers in the world. Unlike other world records, this one didn’t get much airtime. This was the tragic, but impactful foundation for our new burning platform, so how could we make Denmark pay attention to this shameful world record? We needed something that the Danes couldn’t skip, so to spread awareness of the world record, Smoke-Free Future revitalized a century-old form of communication and raised a monument of shame: The Smoking Child.

The smoking habits of children and young adults is something that happens out of sight of adults and policy makers, so we took a smoking child out in public.

With partnerships, campaigns, news and debate, Smoke-Free Future works to make it harder to start smoking. Through local initiatives and political efforts, Smoke-Free Future changes the laws and attitudes towards children and young people's smoking. Target audience is Danish adults, and keeping the attention of the Danes and media for a long period of time is a challenging task.

That is why the media approach needed to vary, we needed a non-skippable format to retain peoples attention. Especially after years of COVID and an overload of health messages. Smoke-Free Future revitalized a century-old form of communication and raised a monument of shame: The Smoking Child. She’s confronting us all with our unwanted world-record, as nobody wants our country to rank highest in the earliest pick-up of a deadly habit. She will be travelling across Denmark and the 279 partners of Smoke-Free Future.

To create awareness Smoke-Free Future revitalized a century-old form of communication and raised a monument of shame: The Smoking Child.

She’s confronting us all with our unwanted world-record, as nobody wants to rank highest in the earliest pick-up of a deadly habit. And who’s fault is it anyway? The blame can’t be placed on just one part of society, so neither will the monument of shame.

The statue’s journey started November 24th 2021, with a big reveal in Denmark’s first school to ban smoking, Smoke-Free Future partner Nyborg Gymnasium. National TV station TV2 followed the event. Now, the monument travels Denmark until we are no longer ranked number one.

Across social-media a film introduced the monument, the structural issues and how this record is something we all must take responsibility for.

That’s how a world record, no one wanted, became a monument of shame we all must take responsibility for.

• A massive launch event at Denmark’s first smoke-free high school attracted press coverage from both national TV, radio and newspapers.

• The statue continues its journey around Denmark until we’re no longer world champions.

• The monument of shame receives local press mentions whenever it’s moved physically.

• Many of the prominent locations where the monument of shame is displayed have high footfall – like Roedovre Centrum, with 9 Mio. yearly visitors.

• 94 of Denmark’s 98 municipalities are partners in the campaign (All in all, more than 279 partners - Like supermarket conglomerate COOP and Danish Chamber of Commerce). Currently, the film has been viewed +3 million times (Denmark is roughly 6M people) and has +32.000 engagements.

• The Danish minister of health is now working on a bill making smoking illegal for people born after 2010.