Kestrel has spent the past few days promoting the launch of the latest online element of the EU’s ‘HELP – for a life without tobacco’ campaign. A unusual trio of anti smoking superhero ‘Helpers’ have been created by our Worldcom partner Ligaris Europe in order to enhance the reach of the campaign amongst young people.

These ‘Helpers’ will be appearing in a series of 11 viral  ‘Helpisodes’ that will be broadcast online via Facebook, Bebo, Youtube and a partnership with the Daily Motion video sharing website.

In each ‘Helpisode’ the characters (Chuck, Loona and Skinny) will be helping others with a variety of tobacco related issues – offering crazy and original solutions. This solutions based approach ties into the HELP Campaign’s ‘tips to quit’ strategy and leads people to view ‘real’ tips on the main HELP website.

Over the course of 2009 young people across Europe have been contributing their own video ‘tips to quit’ either directly through the HELP website or at a roadshow events across the Continent. In the UK Kestrel organised HELP roadshows at a number of youth and sports oriented events including NASS (an action sports and music festival), the British Beach Volleyball Championships and the Edinburgh marathon.

As part of our launch of  ‘Helpisodes’ Kestrel organised an online interactive webchat featuring HELP Campaign partners Professor Gerard Hastings, Director of the Institute for Social Marketing, and Alison Walsh, Youth Presenter and Advisor for the charity Quit. The interactive web chat invited viewers to contact the show with questions and their own stop smoking tips and was broadcast live on Webchats TV and 16 other health and youth related websites. You will be able to view a recording of the show on the Web Chats TV website shortly.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, please find the pilot ’Helpisode’ which provides a backstory for the three ‘Helpers’ and how they were transformed into superheros.