ATLANTA (May 31, 2006) — Nicorette® is bringing a fresh new approach to quitting smoking to Atlanta, the first stop following the launch of a national challenge for a million smokers to commit to quitting.
From Wednesday, May 31, through Sunday, June 4, Atlanta-area smokers and their loved ones will be able to take advantage of professional counseling and other resources through a free smoking cessation center called the Nicorette Stop Shop, which will be located in Atlantic Station in midtown Atlanta. At the opening, Atlanta City Councilmember Natalyn Mosby Archibong will honor Nicorette with a proclamation declaring May 29 through June 4 “Atlanta Quit Smoking Week.”
The Nicorette Stop Shop offers free professional counseling, FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy and quit tools like podcasts, educational videos and a learning center where smokers can assess the impact smoking could have on their health. It will be open to the public from May 31 through June 3 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and June 4 from 12 to 6 p.m.
It is part of the Nicorette Fruit Chill Million Challenge, a multi-faceted consumer education and outreach campaign designed to encourage one million smokers to finally make a commitment to quitting, which the brand launched as part of its introduction of new Nicorette Fruit Chill™, the only fruit-flavored coated nicotine gum. The first Stop Shop opened in New York in April, and other locations will appear in Chicago, Houston and Phoenix this summer.
“The Nicorette Fruit Chill Million Challenge provides smoking cessation tools and personalized support that smokers will find helpful to get started and stick with their quit attempts,” says Bill Slivka, vice president, smoking control, for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare. “Plus, with the potential to win a million dollars, and a great new fruit flavor for their nicotine replacement therapy, smokers have never had a better motivation than right now to quit.”
And what is in it for the participants, aside from the obvious health benefits of giving up their smoking habit, is the chance to win $1 million. The winner will also receive free counseling with a smoking cessation expert and free Nicotine Replacement Therapy product.
Another key campaign element is a nationwide Fruit Chill Million Tour. Two specially equipped Nicorette sport utility vehicles will roll into high-profile events and high-traffic areas across the country between July and December, where certified GSK Consumer Healthcare smoking cessation counselors will provide one-on-one counseling and education to smokers. Smokers will also have a chance to learn how the great new taste of Nicorette Fruit Chill can provide a new option to help in quit attempts.
Smokers who don’t have access to the Nicorette Stop Shops or the Fruit Chill Million Tour can take advantage of the exciting tools and resources designed to help them quit at www.FruitChillMillion.com, the official campaign website. Fruit Chill Million Challenge participants can also enter for a chance to win the $1 million prize by visiting the site. Participants can earn up to 74 additional entries – and stay fully engaged in their quit attempt – by enrolling in programs, completing surveys and downloading and viewing the quit tools available on the site, such as the “10 Step Quit Plan,” relapse “Trigger Tamers” and “If You Slip” wallet card.
The Nicorette Fruit Chill Million, Nicorette’s largest quit smoking challenge ever, is unique in that its key elements were designed for smokers by smokers to increase the chance of a successful quit attempt. The brand leveraged years of research, and recruited and worked with a diverse panel of current and former smokers to develop tools and messages that would resonate with other smokers.
The brand also established a Nicorette Quit Team of smoking cessation experts, including: Matthew H. Carpenter, Ph.D., research psychologist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC); Robin J. Mermelstein, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, smoking cessation researcher and director of the Center for Health Behavior Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Arden G. Christen, D.D.S, M.S.D., M.A., co-director of the Nicotine Dependence Program at Indiana University and at Fairbanks Addiction Hospital in Indianapolis and private smoking cessation counselor; and Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, Ph.D., smoking cessation and public health expert with specific expertise on substance abuse prevention and treatment in special populations. They will provide ongoing input on tools and materials for the Fruit Chill Million Challenge and will be present at consumer events throughout the year, along with certified GSK Consumer Healthcare smoking cessation counselors, who will provide professional counseling and support to smokers face-to-face.
“Our research shows that four out of five (81 percent) smokers would be willing to try to quit smoking for a chance to win a million dollars,” says Slivka. “But more important than the money, we are giving them access to educational materials, quit tools and counseling – all free of charge – to help make their quit attempts more successful.”
Gum Flavor Can be a Barrier to Compliance
Nicotine replacement therapies, such as nicotine gums, are clinically proven to help smokers quit. For years, however, smokers have complained that the taste of the gum was a barrier to complying with the dosing regimen.
A Harris Interactive® survey of more than 400 smokers showed that a better tasting nicotine gum could be just the ticket to finally kicking the habit, by helping to address the compliance issue by making the chewing experience more enjoyable.
To help improve compliance, Nicorette launched Fresh Mint™ in 2005 and now is announcing the launch of another great-tasting flavor, Fruit Chill. Similar in texture to confectionary gums, Nicorette Fruit Chill has a crispy coating that releases a burst of fruit flavor with a cool mint finish, providing a surprisingly refreshing chewing experience. The sugar-free gum also contains the fast, flexible craving-fighting medicine that consumers have come to expect from Nicorette.
“There are two elements to smoking addiction – the craving for nicotine and the habit – and both must be addressed to increase the chances of successfully quitting,” says Carpenter. “Nicotine replacement therapy, like Nicorette Fruit Chill, can help satisfy the body’s physical need for nicotine, so smokers can focus on breaking their smoking habit using the tools, counseling and support available through the Fruit Chill Million.”
Nicorette Fruit Chill is available at mass merchandise, grocery and drug stores. For more information, including Nicorette Stop Shop locations and hours of operation, Fruit Chill Million Tour stops and dates and official sweepstakes rules, please visit www.FruitChillMillion.com.
About Nicorette
Nicorette is a stop-smoking aid in the form of sugar-free nicotine gum. It provides oral gratification and reduces nicotine withdrawal symptoms, including cravings that make attempts to quit smoking so difficult. Convenient to carry and use, Nicorette allows smokers to control how much nicotine they use, and gives them the added flexibility of chewing an additional piece during strong or frequent cravings. Plus, exciting new flavors, such as Fresh Mint and new Fruit Chill, may make the chewing experience more enjoyable for smokers who have complained about the taste of nicotine replacement gums.
About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world’s largest over-the-counter consumer healthcare product companies. Its more than 30 well-known brands include the leading smoking cessation products, Nicorette®, NicoDerm® and Commit®, as well as a many medicine cabinet staples such as Abreva®, Aquafresh®, Sensodyne® and Tums®.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare continues to develop innovative products to help all smokers find their best support system and achieve their goal of being cigarette-free.
About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies. GlaxoSmithKline is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.
