https://sites.google.com/a/westcta.ccsd.net/drug-awareness-panels/anti-smoking-ad-panel-one
http://webneel.com/daily/sites/default/files/images/daily/03-2013/28-creative-anti-smoking-ad.jpg
Smoking has been a huge issue for decades. With each passing year, the dangers of tobacco and nicotine continue to multiply, and yet, it continues to be a common habit among all ages. As a result, organizations that seek to educate people and raise awareness of the dangers of this habit are always putting out new ads to extinguish the desire in people to smoke. However, questions surround their ad choices which are often shocking, to say the least. Both these ads effectively portray their respective messages.
The first one, using the image of a corpse with a toe tag on it colored similarly to a Marlboro cigarette pack, enhances its text which notes that number of people who die from smoke-related diseases and how many began as teen smokers. That particular ads suggested that tobacco consumption leads to diseases that can cause death and is directed towards both smokers and non-smokers because it is meant to encourage either party to take action whether that action be quitting or never starting the habit. However, it seems to especially speak to the smoker who uses Marlboro by connecting the brand to the corpse, literally. This ad, while disconcerting, does not seem to suggest anything unreasonable or harmful for smoking has been proven to contribute to many different diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and other respiratory issues.
The second ad is much more disturbing because it raises the issue of second hand smoke and its affect on children. Children always make an argument more personal and emotional because no one likes to see an innocent child harmed in any way. The Chilean Corporation Against Cancer uses this to their advantage by suggesting that smoking is "not only suicide. It's murder". This strikes deeply in the heart of nonsmokers and smokers alike. The issue raised by this ad is indeed a legitimate one. I, personally, know people who, as adults, suffer from the effects of their parents' smoking habits. Though their method is shocking and disturbing, their point is valid.
Smoking is a sensitive issue. Despite all of the studies and knowledge surround it, many people still smoke. Often times, it is because they are addicted to the chemicals, enjoy the stress relieving aspect of smoking, or simply do not want to quit. However, perhaps the most disturbing reason is the complete ignorance many youth smokers embrace regarding smoking. Many do not understand the long-lasting consequences of the habit and simply what to "try it out", not realizing that they would get hooked very quickly. According to an article in the New York Times entitled "Why Smokers Still Smoke", the problem is as simply as a lack of self-control (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/opinion/sunday/why-smokers-still-smoke.html?_r=0).
Research suggests, however, that perhaps the most influential reasons that people quit smoking are because of their health and their family. Knowing this, it seems that the best way to encourage people to stop is to emphasize the dangers to health and to family which is the approach many anti-smoking organizations are utilizing. However, efforts clearly need to be increased in order to dissuade people from smoking. Also, greater access to the necessary steps to quit should be emphasized as well. People need to be educated, but, ultimately, they will make their own decisions. That is, indeed, the sad reality.
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