In early 2017, the Irish government’s public health service, HSE, launched the anti-smoking ad ‘I Will Survive’ alongside BDDO Dublin for its QUIT initiative. The spot sees a diverse range of people at various stages in the quitting process lip sync to Gloria Gaynor’s eponymous track. All characters in the spot – whether a young, healthy woman at work or an old bloke in a wheelchair – relate to the lyrics in the song, just as they all relate to the experience of quitting. The ad won a number of awards and was picked up by New York State Department of Health to run statewide in 2018.

“Like real-life quitters, some people in the ad are in the moment of giving up,” says the HSE. “Others are in a moment of truth around the effect smoking has had on their life. But all are defiant in the face of cigarettes and the harm they do.”

Ireland is now home to more quitters than smokers, proving the QUIT campaign’s worth. And at a time when health itself has become a status symbol, and reminders of how you can be better are everywhere, the spot reminds people that they’re not alone in their endeavour – a communication that’s especially astute given the link between smoking and loneliness. It’s why communities tend to form around quitting too. The HSE campaign’s trip across the Atlantic cements the universal nature of its message, showing how concerns over health and disease are globally relatable, regardless of culture.

Lore Oxford is a behavioural strategist at Canvas8, which specialises in behavioural insights and consumer research. She previously ran her own science and technology publication and was a columnist for Dazed and Confused. When she’s not busy analysing human behaviour, she can be found defending anything from selfie culture to the Kardashians from contemporary culture snobs.