The Truth About Smoking ad

[skreidle]

I think that's the company, anyway. The Truth. But anyway:

There's a radio ad I've heard a couple times now, starting with "This is how cigarette companies advertise on the radio. You thought they couldn't do that, right? Well, here's how. First, they sponsor a huge music event, and call it something that the demographics show will attract teens, like 'Rocktoberfest'. Then, they get a spot at --- Pavilion, with DJ ---, and a lot of attractive women... ... hawking their product... etc."

And at the end: "And that, my rockin' friends, is how you get played and how the tobacco companies get paid. Find out the Truth at... [website]"

You know what? I would attend that event, even if I knew full well it was sponsored by a cigarette manufacturer. I wouldn't particularly care if it supports that sponsor--I'd just be there for the music, the location, the DJ, the attractive women.

That's just what I think when that ad comes on. Kind of like my friends who are smokers who light up when a Truth ad comes on. There are effective anti-smoking ads, those just aren't among them.

Comments

[mizunakat.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that those Truth ads are the ones that the government mandated the tobacco companies had to make, although I could be mistaken.

As far as the 'And that, my rockin' friends, is how you get played and how the tobacco companies get paid' and the alternate 'my hiphop friends' commercials go, I believe that they're meant to play on the emotion of people, not their logic. They're mostly aimed towards kids anyway. Most adults that I've met who've seen/heard the commercials think they're horrible and useless, but they can't really view them from a youngin's POV. :)

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Fortunately (unfortunately?) I'm not that reactively emotional--I'm only getting played if I don't realize exactly what's going on--either with such a concert event, or with such a commercial. :)

I think they underestimate kids, too, if they think those commercials will have much of an affect on anyone over, say, 10, which isn't when they're starting to smoke anyway.

[mizunakat.livejournal.com]

To the contrary, kids do start smoking between the ages of 9 and 13 these days. I started smoking when I was 12 and that was almost 9 years ago. Kids have evolved to think that they deserve more freedom than they really should be allowed these days and while they may seem like they're unusually intelligent for their age, they can still be played pretty easily. :)

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Freaky. Maybe it was just my schools, but I don't think I knew anyone who smoked earlier than middle school (around age 12, that'd be.) Of course, there was also a kid who brought his dad's 9mm into middle school to show off, too. Didn't get caught, as far as I know.

[piter-kenobi.livejournal.com]

Also, remeber what they call it. The Truth. It's not The Real Great Anti-Smoking Ads Campaign. They're not out to make great commercials. In fact, it's technically not a commercial at all. They aren't selling anything. They're only spreading truth. And they do that. I personally have mixed feelings about the ads. But I admire what they are trying to accomplish. You're friends light up when those 'moments of truth' come on? Hmmm. Not to get offensive or anything, but that seems a little childish to me. In fact all I can think out of that is that they're saying, "Yeah. You've told us the truth about what's in it, how it's marketed, how the companies have lied and done illegal things to keep the public from finding out the truth that these things /WILL/ eventually kill you, but we're okay with that. In fact we endorse tobacco companies for it." Just sounds like they're only counteracting what The Truth is trying to do. I've smoked exactly 5 times in my life. Once before, and four times during a stage play. I was horribly bad at smoking. And I'm sure the audience could tell I wasn't a smoker. But you know what? I don't care. If the audience could tell I don't smoke, that's fine in my book. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I drink, but for one of the right reasons. And personally I aplaud The Truth's mission. How they accomplish it may not be the best, but they've got the right idea. And with the way parenting in America is going straight to shit, seems like The Truth is the only thing out there telling kids out smoking and how harmful it is. Just my dos centavos.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's undeniably childish. But I think their reaction is more "I've made my choice, fully cognizant of the risks, so stop bitching at me." I know that's not the point of the commercials, and I'm sure most of these people don't advocate that other people start smoking or that the companies continue their underhanded practices--they just don't want to hear additional bitching at them.

I applaud the Truth's efforts, too.. but I feel that simply telling people the truth--how they're doing it, anyway--isn't effective enough. Unfortunately, I don't have a better suggestion.