It doesn’t hurt to try alternative nicotine delivery methods, as long as you stick to the program. As always, the most important factor of any method is to stop smoking. If a week’s worth of the patch or gum goes by and he smokes during that period, you might as well try something else. A smoker of 30 years might find it extremely tough to quit. Support is the most important secondary factor aside from dropping the cigs.
Also, if you happen to have a Nintendo DS, you could pick up a copy of My Stop Smoking Coach. Here’s a link for an article on that title: http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/05/29/kick-habit-nintendo-ds
Other than that, there are myriad methods to try. Most of which may honestly yield greater success than patches or gum.