"Two TikTok screenshots side by side. Left: a woman pulls a loaded trolley through a patio door, captioned 'Pack it or sack it at Reading Festival, while trying to be sustainable', Right: a woman's selfie video still with microphone, guitar and music note graphics above her head, captioned 'Reading Festival has been and gone'

Influencer-led campaign tackles nicotine consumption

Reading Borough Council’s Public Health team needed to address the significant health impact of nicotine products at Reading Festival. Building on last year’s campaign that used micro-influencers to communicate with young people, they required an evidence-based approach to reduce nicotine use in this group.

The challenge was to create compelling content that would shift perceptions, influence policy discussions, and ultimately drive behavioral change amongst festival-goers.

Approach

Our campaign messaging was informed by research that evidenced young people’s deep commitment to environmental protection and climate action. We recognised this concern could serve as a lever for behavior change

Using this insight, and learnings from last year’s campaign, Blue Lozenge developed and activated a campaign combining academic research with influencer content.

We commissioned Dr Eve Taylor to conduct the first-ever environmental impact assessment of nicotine consumption at Reading Festival, revealing shocking statistics:

  • Over 500,000 cigarettes were consumed
  • 25,000+ attendees vaped(half using disposables)
  • Vaping and cigarette consumption will generate 11,500kg of CO₂ emissions -equivalent to driving a car 25,000 miles
  • 25,000+ nicotine pouches were consumed, creating 20kg of plastic waste
  • Nearly 2 million litres of water were needed to produce the number of cigarettes consumed at the festival

Our creative strategy centred on authentic environmental messaging delivered through micro-influencers on TikTok, chosen for their genuine connection with festival audiences.

We conducted a pre-festival sentiment survey to understand young people’s knowledge gaps and attitudes towards nicotine sponsorship, discovering that over two-thirds of respondents opposed tobacco festival sponsorship but were less informed about non-cigarette products’ environmental impact.

The campaign integrated paid social content, evidence-based research findings, and strategic communications consultancy to maximise impact across multiple touchpoints whilst maintaining message authenticity and credibility.

Impact

The campaign significantly exceeded expectations. Our TikTok content reached nearly 600,000 unique users with over 800,000 video views, representing a 400% increase in reach and 200% increase in impressions compared to the previous year’s campaign.

The academic research report provided Reading Public Health with a powerful advocacy tool, offering the first quantitative assessment of the environmental cost of the festival’s nicotine consumption. The report can be used to inform conversations with key stakeholders for many years to come.

Testimonial

“The Blue Lozenge team brought creativity, enthusiasm and insight to create a campaign that resonated with our target audience, started conversations and pushed boundaries. We felt supported and well-informed throughout the whole project – we really enjoyed working with them.”

Martin White, Public Health Consultant, Reading Borough Council