The activity, which is a first for the charity and the first work from St Luke's since its appointment this March, is seeking to raise awareness of the fact that smokers are twice as likely to develop eye diseases that lead to blindness than non-smokers.
As part of the campaign, the RNIB is calling on the government to introduce specific on-pack warnings about the link between smoking and sight loss and to fund a major awareness campaign on the dangers of smoking to an individual's eyesight.
The RNIB believes that although smokers are often targeted with a variety of health messages from charities such as the British Heart Foundation and the government, no official body has highlighted the link between smoking and blindness.
The ads will run in the national press from 9 September, RNIB Eye Test Action Day. Other consumer titles will also feature the ads, which are being aimed at young female smokers.
Posters will run in London and in Asda supermarkets, GP's surgeries, Primary Care Trusts and RNIB centres, with all media handled by Starcom Motive.
The RNIB currently spends most of its £1m marketing budget on campaigns designed to prevent the causes of avoidable blindness.
However, this preventative campaign is the first of a series, following the RNIB's decision to increase its advertising activity earlier this year after appointing St Luke's. The incumbent, JWT, did not pitch.
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