Dare and Now help launch new government anti-smoking campaign

Dare and Now have helped to create a new government advertising campaign that aims to persuade more people in the UK to quit or abstain from smoking.

The agencies have developed a TV advert that graphically demonstrates the damage that toxins from cigarettes – such as arsenic and cyanide – cause throughout the body, including the heart, lungs and brain.

Launching last week, the Toxic Cycle campaign will also include posters, billboards, online ads and a striking "tunnel of blood" display at London Bridge station.

Public Health England is responsible for the new initiative and will be offering support, advice and a range of tools to help anyone looking to stop smoking as the new year begins.

Chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: "Smoking is the major cause of premature death, with one in two smokers dying prematurely from smoking-related diseases, and it is extremely worrying that people still underestimate the health harms associated with it."

This campaign follows hot on the heels of Stoptober 2013, a month-long initiative that ran during October and helped around a quarter of a million people to kick the habit.