Quit Victoria warns of consequences of smoking with ‘Last Dance’ spot via JWT Melbourne
Quit Victoria has launched an emotionally charged anti-smoking campaign through their agency partner JWT Melbourne.
Last Dance features a family who is coming to terms with the tragic consequences of not quitting smoking. In this instance, the father of the family is in the latter stages of terminal cancer.
Set to an acoustically re-imagined version of ‘Que Sera Sera’, we watch as the father and his wife partake in a last dance together; a poignant and emotionally charged act, which is quietly and painfully observed by his young son. However, the ad offers hope to all smokers by subverting the song’s key lyric into an end-line: What will be, doesn’t have to be.
Quit Victoria executive director Fiona Sharkie said the emotion packed campaign reflected the fact that one in two long-term smokers would die of a smoking-caused disease.
Half of those would die in middle age, at a time when many people still have children living at home.
“With almost 4000 Victorians dying each year due to smoking, this is a scene that is being played out in lounge rooms across the state,” she said. “This campaign is a powerful reminder for smokers that your smoking doesn’t just affect you. It affects your family too.
“Self-exclusion eats into the effectiveness of anti-smoking ads. The team behind Last Dance worked extremely hard to ensure every element was as relatable to the smoking cohort as possible,” said Richard Muntz, Executive Creative Director of JWT Melbourne.
Client: Quit
Title: Last Dance
Agency: JWT, Melbourne
ECD: Richard Muntz
Creative Director/Writer: Jim Ritchie
Creative Director/Art Director: Rob Beamish
Agency Producer: Sherry Harvey
Client Service Director: Pete Randeria
Production Company: The Sweet Shop
Director: Luci Schroder
Executive Producer: Fiona King
Managing Director: Wilf Sweetland
DOP: Jeremy Rouse
Editing Company: The Butchery
Editor: Johanna Scott
Post Production: Method Studios
96 Comments
ARRRGH…the onions! The onions!!!!!!!
Beautiful. Nice one Muntzy.
Powerful. Tugs on the heart strings. Genuinely got a lump in the throat. I’m fucking quitting.
Beautifully handled Luci, well done guys!
Well done Jim and Rob.
A great piece of work.
Very powerful, genuinely hurts to watch. Well done.
Looks like the writer and art director were accidentally left off the credits.
Can’t believe Jim and Rob were left off the credits here. Low blow JWT.
This is good. Very moving. Nice work.
any reason why the creatives who actually came up with this aren’t listed in the credits? just because they’re no longer there, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be credited. that’s pretty poor form IMO.
Chill people. They are up there
Correction needed.
There was no deliberate attempt to omit Rob Beamish and Jim Ritchie from the credits of this expertly conceived and flawlessly executed spot. I did not, nor anyone at JWT, send CB the credits listing appearing above. As soon as we picked up this mistake we made contact with CB requesting a correction.
In fact, in the last couple of days, email exchanges between Jim, Rob, Wilf and myself have clocked up double figures, as we endeavoured to correctly credit everyone who contributed to “Last dance.”
For the doubters please refer to bestads http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/53954/Quit-Victoria-Last-Dance (These JWT did submit.). Here Jim and Rob are correctly credited as Creative Director/Copywriter and Creative Director/Art Director.
It was their idea and theirs to craft in execution with Luci and the SweetShop team.
I trust this will appease those accusing myself or JWT of an evil plot to deny rightful recognition.
Oh yeah and stop smoking.
Bloody lovely stuff, Jim and Rob. Well done.
Beautifully done, guys.
Onya Jim, good to see it’s finally on the air.
excellent cinematography daddy.
Why are you lot wetting your pants? It’s not a new idea, it’s not shot in a new way, it’s the same old tired message (youtube “anti-smoking campaign”) with a terrible media strategy of just blanked coverage instead of focusing on an actual demographic. Imagine if someone actually looked at the problem without art director goggles and came up with a new way of thinking to solve a problem… Great use of song and well cut, but still – same/same but different.
who is that song? A great version, sits perfectly.
Well done.
Who are the actors?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2V3uYjHM_0
What’s your point? The song is the same? Next you’ll be posting ads with sick people in them…
The track is a re-imagined version of ‘Que Sera Sera’ (obviously) orchestrated by Electric Dreams and sung by Marita Dyson of the Orb Weavers.
Whether it’s a new idea or not, it’s still brilliantly executed and will prove to be effective in tugging on the heart strings of the audience.
Congrats to all involved. Nice one JWT.
It’s probably the best Aussie anti-smoking ad since ‘Separation’. Compelling, emotional and very delicately handled. I for one am glad I quit years ago – reckon there’ll be a lot of Dads getting grief for lighting up tonight.
@and? I’ve smoked for twenty years and tried to quit a dozen times, I’ve also seen a dozen different approaches to the problem. I am married and have a young child and this genuinely resonated with me where a lot of the other campaigns either annoyed or repulsed me to the point that I changed the channel every time they aired. If it works, why knock it?
Amazing. Congratulations. This is our industry at its best.
Well done guys. Well worth the work and the wait.
I hope the ad works. The simplicity of the scene, the lack of dialogue and the look of quiet resignation between the couple haunts me hours after seeing it.Congratulations on a magnificent effort.
A very emotional and powerful ad. that leaves me in tears every time. If this doesn’t make you quit or at the very least think about the consequences then nothing will. Brilliant work! Keep sending out the message!!!
That version of que sera sera is amazing!! How do I get my hands on a copy? Good work guys, sad but great commercial
Where can I find a full version if Maritas song? She does an amazing job with it!
Would love to get the full version of this song if avail?? possible? great work guys 🙂
What a beautiful poignant song and ad. Every time I play this I cry, the tragic family scene is just so moving. I really really want this man to live! This ad gets top marks from me, it’s moving, tasteful yet gets the horrific message across. Very very heart-wrenching and moving, no words, just a sad scene with crystal clear singing.. Any chance Marita could release a full version of this song? Very very well done.
Im not a smoker but have a partner that smokes..We both believe that to make this sort of advertising more credible is to use people who have actually got lung cancer.
That way the message would be more powerful as you could do a follow up some time later i.e. As a follow up to our recent message Jo, Bill, Mary, Joan…..passed away on(date). That way there is a beginning and end(sadly) to the message you are trying to convey.
My Husband has lung cancer with secondaries. This ad makes me weep with fear and despair. I do not know how I will cope when the time comes. It also suggests how alone most of us are with this.
Hi Kate ,my dad died 3 years ago of lung cancer, my heart goes out to you. I can only tell you that when we asked the LORD to bring positive stuff out of all the negative, He did so over and over again, and dad wasn’t even a Christian. He did the same for mum when she died of cancer 8 years ago.. Please tell me your husband’s name and I will pray for both of you .God IS good and kind and He WILL help you through this if you ask Him to. He doesn’t always answer prayers as we want Him to but He always hears you .Always…So you are not alone.. Ask His forgiveness then ask Him for help and He will be there for both of you.
My dad died of lung cancer and if it wasn’t for Gods help I don’t know how we would have got through it. This ad also shows that as a family we can draw strength from each other.
While I understand the reasons for this campaign – I wonder if the creative directors realised that those of us who have cancer ( and in my case not at all smoking related) are facing the prospect of the last dance on a daily basis. Your ad may deter healthy others but only serves to cement a potentially devastating outcome from those of us who already face an uncertain future . I cringe every time it appears. While you may be deterring others – you are causing emotional hardship to those of us who are here through no fault of our own .
I cant watch this or even hear it without crying. Im trying again to stop smoking im on my thrid day.
This is one of the best commercials yet. Hopefully it will be effective
Advertisements like this really do go a long way to balancing the effects of advertising. So much is getting people to buy stuff they don’t need, or food and drinks that help cause obesity and diabetes but this is something else. I smoked for 40 years and gave up 10 years ago, 5 minutes at a time. Most smokers already want to stop, work like this pushes them over the line. Well done and congratulations to all concerned.
Breaks my heart every time I see it.
This commercial sent me to tears immediately and i had to stop watching. I didn’t even know what the commercial was for until this morning when I googled it. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Brilliant. Someone along the way between strategy and execution has been there before. Hopefully it gets a few mugs to give up the death sticks.
Wow – what a moving commercial. It is showing now in the US. I cry each time I see it – looks so real.
I have never smoked and do hope it helps (even if 1 person) to stop.
I agree with some of the others – have family members who had lung cancer, who never smoked – so this must be painful for them and their loved ones as well.
This commercial is playing in the US in the NorthEast. I was watching a hockey game and this commercial stopped me in my tracks. The musical track echoes the pain visualized, it’s incredibly powerful. I too would love to hear a full musical track my Marita Dyson. Her voice is beautiful.
Great ad. Makes my eyes tear up. The look on all their faces. Well done. I wondered if they were a real family going through it. Are the actors meant to be listed too. Not a complaint. Just a question.
this is the best anti smoking commercial I have ever seen,the rest turn your stomach,this one breaks your heart.
PLEASE tell me where I could get Marita Dyson and the Electric Dream version of Que Sera, sera, known as The Last Dance.i
very touching! i have been there and lost more than one loved one.
who are the man and woman in the commercial.
FINALLY… a well done anti smoking ad that can reach people instead of making people immediately turn away in disgust and change the channel. Kudos to those who developed this ad. This ad will have a great impact on people.
who are the actors?
The absolute saddest commercial ever. Geez.
What a poignant ad. I don’t smoke and I get goosebumps everytime I see it. So beautifully done, bittersweet, sad, emotionally powerful, all of that and more. The couple are perfect together. Never been so affected by a commercial and I have never smoked.
Has anyone else noticed that the actress who plays the wife in this ad ironically
has clubbed fingernails? Whoever she is, she’d better get her heart & lungs checked out.
Who are the actors? Why would they not be credited???
without a doubt one of the most evocative, effective, powerful messages I have encountered on television. Congratulations to the writer, produces – and most importantly the actors.
Very memorable and beautifully executed! Certainly delivers the message.
As if our kids don’t have enough to worry themselves sick about. Every time we switch on the TV or radio for that matter, there are stories and visuals of tragedies and horrors in this world. Now they have to watch this ad 10 times a day and live in fear of mum or dad dying.
Hi – this ad is so moving as many of us have noted. I wonder whether the family depicted are actors or an actual family going through this nightmare? If actors, kudos to them, the emotion in their faces is so real….
I WANTED TO COMMENT ON THE COUPLE DANCING. A STOP SMOKING COMMERICAL. IT IS VERY MUCH ONE OF THE BEST COMMERICAL EVER.iT MADE ME CRY, AND I’AM NOT A SMOKER, BUT THIS COMMERICAL IS THE BEST EVER……………jOANNE
PLEASe…WHO IS THE ACTRESS in this powerful ad? I think I know her.
Oh, how very sad and sick this commercial is.
Che sera ! Well it means nothing because it will be for some and how dare you show the two,people dancing in such a sick situation.
Yes, smoking can harm you. Yes take out all the garbage in the cigarette.
Yes, take that stupid co Mercian out.
Che sera for you who think that scary sick tactics are HUMANE, UNDERSTANDING and HERATBREAKING THINKING.
Please tell me who the actress is, I believe I know her. I would love to reconnect with her, its been about 15-17 years. Please ask her if she ever lived in otego NY? Can you have her call 5183448248.
I think it’s actually a very inconsiderate commercial. Inconsiderate of all of those who have had to watch someone suffer and or pass from cancer. Everytime this commercial comes on it’s a constant reminder of what others had to endure while fighting cancer!
Of all the commercials out there dealing with anti smoking I believe this one should win an award. Very tastefully done. The child looking in let’s you know your decision to smoke may effect others who love you. This version of the song is phenomenal. Thank you so much for a bearable anti smoking commercial that does still hit home. P.S. I quit for the last time in 2007 with the help of my Doctor and Chantix. Thank the Lord it worked for me… Have
This is on TV again…And I glad! This commercial has been one of my favorites as it is so powerful! I don’t smoke and never have. My mom died from lung cancer despite my begging her to stop from the time I was a kid until she died when I was a young adult. I would put holes in her cigarettes and I also remember removing a cigarette or two at a time and would flush them down the toilet. Nothing got her to stop until it was too late. I saw what her death did to my dad and two brothers and it was awful watching them slowly lose all hope of her survival. I don’t want anyone to go through what we did…watching our mom slowly die. Cigarettes not only kill its victim, it kills a piece of each one who watches the person they love slowly die…and for what? A smoke?
As far as the comment above regarding this commercial being “Inconsiderate of all of those who have had to watch someone suffer and or pass from cancer. Every time this commercial comes on it’s a constant reminder of what others had to endure while fighting cancer!” This is life, Patty! I watched my dad and older brother die from cancer but I don’t think of them when I see this commercial; my dad had parotid gland cancer which several years later metastasized to his esophagus. My brother had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma brought on by exposure at work to a certain pesticide. You do have the option of muting the commercial or changing the channel but this is one commercial that has a powerful kick and needs to be shown.
Who are the actors? Some ppl actually think this is a real situation for the people in the ad? Thanks
Would you kindly let me know if this is a real couple and child. If so did he expire. It breaks my heart every time i see this commercial.
Who is the singer of Que Sera Sera in this piece?
Who are the actors in the commercial?
I hope this commercial helps, it breaks my heart, I can’t watch it anymore. I never smoked. If I did this commercial would scare me.
Please my kids are pushing to know if this is a real family or actors. This is a very impactful commercial. Just please let us know. Thank you.
This commercial breaks my heart every time I see it. My Dad died from lung cancer and it brings me right back to his final days. That being said I think it sends a powerful message. I hate the other anti-smoking commercials and with people losing fingers and breathing through a tracheotomy. I often change the channel. With this one, it just pulls at my heart strings.
Does anyone know who the actors are? The woman looks familiar and I’m trying to place her.
There have been many asking who are the actors. No one is answering. Would it make it less “real” if we all knew tthey were actually acting and not a real family? It is so sad i can no longer watch it; i change the channel. I will always remember this ad if I ever hear that song again.
With all that said, I do hope this ad convinces smokers to quit. I quit years ago and it was the very best thing I ever did. I had the cold laser treatment and never smoked again. Smokers, quit any way you can. God bless.
This is a phenomenal commercial! I never smoked, but EVERY time it comes on I repeatedly rewind it. I truly wish I can get the full recording of the song by Ms. Dyson. She sings it BETTER than anyone ever had. My husband has smoked for over 60 yeas and when he watches it he says “I really should stop smoking”. PLEASE, PLEASE keep it being shown on television to encourage smokers to stop. You guys did a fantastic jzob when you made this commercial!!!!!!!!!
This commercial should not be on television. It is morbid and depressing and is not necessary to view. There are other ways to alert people to the dangers of smoking- certainly not with a dying man and his family. I know that everyone I know that hears it come on the TV quickly turns it off. It is just awful to see and experience such pain. The world is painful enough without making us endure more pain while watching and enjoying T.V. Please, if you have any decency, remove this commercial and replace its message another way. It is just horrible to watch.
GET RID OF THE ANTI-SMOKING AD QUIT VICTORIA WITH THE QUE SERA SERA SONG – FOR 95% OF US THAT DON’T SMOKE – IT’S THE MOST ANNOYING F..ING C…AP THAT’S ON EVERY OTHER COMMERCIAL – WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS CRAP. I’M PAYING A LOT OF $$$$ FOR MY CABLE – I MUTE IT – FAST FORWARD IT & I SAY, OMG – IT’S ON AGAIN – REALLY HOW ANNOYING – AT TIMES, I GET SOOOO IRRITATED, I WANT TO THROW A ROCK, YES THROW A ROCK AT MY TV TO REMOVE IT FROM THE AIRWAVES – IT’S F….ING ANNOYING – GET RID OF IT. AGAIN, FOR 95% OF US WHO ARE NOT SMOKING & PAYING $$$ – FOR CABLE, WHY DO WE HAVE TO SUBJECTED TO THIS UNWANTED CRAP CRAP & CRAP!!!! – I ALSO EMAILED NBC SAME – GET RID OF THIS F…ING ANNOYING COMMERICIAL!!!!
To Lisa E who wants to ban the ad “for 95% of us who are not smoking:” I wish it were true that only 5% of the public still smokes. But the actual numbers in the USA is in the mid- 20 percent range. And if you care about nothing else but yourself, then consider this. People who smoke and their healthcare are a direct drag on your own wallet. Getting them to quit benefits you.
Just one more observation. The world does not exist for the sole purpose of making you happy, no matter how much you pay for cable. Like it or not we all belong to a community of people. Public service ads are broadcast to reach those with problems that may be different from yours. That’s why they are public. You’ve already taken the right step by switching off the commercial when it annoys you. Thats the mature thing to do instead of demanding that the world homogenize itself to match your world that is, frankly, blessed to be cancer-free.
Ugh. I reach for the remote. This ad is on day and night. Once was enough. It’s sick.
Well. It was never answered. Is this a real couple? The emotions look genuine.
I think this is very effective! Great job! However I would like to know who the family is. Smoking does effect so many people, I’m sure this ad will help many. Thank you!
My brother died at 60 never seeing his first grandchild I think the commercial is great if it saves one life. Would love to know actor and actress name.
I have never been so moved by a commercial. As an adamant non smoker, I pray that this ad convinces others to quit. Brilliant! Would love to find the full version of Marita singing the song. I remember Doris Day’s version many years ago.
Whats the name of the actors?
There is a logical reason for keeping the names of the actors unknown in the Quit Victoria campaign commercial. If the names were released, it would have less of an impact for the commercial’s effect to quit smoking. Not knowing keeps the family real and delivers a powerful message on its own, rather than concentrating on who the actors are. This situation could strike at any moment to a family with a smoker. This is the point, correct?
That was the best anti smoking commercial I’ve ever seen. The emotion between the actors seems so genuine and demonstrates the emotional toll smoking takes. I never mind watching it or get tired of it because I think it’s saving lives.
The acting in this commercial is really quite good. It’s totally believable. Perhaps they have personal stories themselves. It really won’t help me, as I haven’t ever had any addictions or vices. My dad did pass away from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) in 2011, so the commercial just makes me sad. Hopefully it will help someone who does smoke and is young and lucky/blessed enough not to have been stricken with serious illness as of yet, God Bless everyone and best wishes for a healthy and safe New Year.
Very moving. ..brings tears to my eyes. .reminds me of my fiance. .a smoker. .Good looking like the actor. ..fading away..remembering the love they had together before the smoking took over!
To all involved….excellent…..well done!
This a beautiful ad not only for the topic but the couple playing the part. Are they a couple. They are so believable. Beautiful commercials
If I remember correctly the actress in this commercial is Kathy Baker. She was on the show picket fences.
My father died of lung cancer and I continued to smoke. It’s been 13 years since his passing and I’ve been smoke free for over 5 years. I’ve had 4 dear friends of mine die of lung cancer because of smoking. This commercial speaks the truth and for those who continue to turn a blind eye to their addiction it will only be a mater of time until they meet the same fate.
This is the most powerful commercial I have ever seen.
Aside from the message to quit smoking or for young people never to start,
What I get from it is that it shows what true love really is.
I thought they were “real”, and not actors. Now that
I know they are actors, I continue to believe this that
It still is the most powerful commercial ever in sending
The quit smoking now message and showing what true love is
In the eyes of the couple. There should be awards to all involved in this commercial
Is it weird for me to find the dying man in this commercial so attractive?
I love how this spot packs a punch nearly four years after it was uploaded. Just think how many lives could be saved in Australia if the money spent by government bodies with independent funding for public service advertising (in Vic, WorkSafe, the TAC and gambling prevention bodies) could go into a pool to be shared with other worthy causes.
Despite the fact that AU is world-leading in its smoking prevention tactics, there are relatively few PSAs about the dangers of smoking. But smoking is still a huge killer.
Estimated AU deaths from lung cancer in 2017: 9,021
Road deaths in 2016: 1,290
https://lung-cancer.canceraustralia.gov.au/statistics
https://bitre.gov.au/statistics/safety/fatal_road_crash_database.aspx