Thursday, February 20, 2014
FDA: Cigarettes are "Bullies"
Anti-smoking ads are notoriously clever and sometimes disturbing. In a recent TV spot by the FDA, they take a new twist on the impact of cigarettes, comparing them to a high school bully that pushes you around and manipulates you. In this ad, a little man (with a ridiculous mullet) won't leave a certain teenager alone. He says things like "We're going for a walk" or "we pause the movie when I say we do" and drags him around from place to place by the neck. When I first saw it, I had no idea what was going on, which was probably the intent. But as the little man climbs between the teenagers fingers at the end and the narrator states "Cigarettes are bullies", the entire ad clicked for me. It was very creative and made me think, and I enjoy seeing the powerful metaphors that the FDA and other anti-smoking campaigns create.
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I just saw this advertisement the other day and thought it was really well put together. I actually asked my room mate "is this a commercial about bullying?" I think the FDA does a great job at conveying their message through metaphor in this advertisement. It shows the amount of control cigarettes can have over someones life and I believe the message is conveyed both clearly and concisely.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't seen the ending of this commercial until now. I was very much in the same boat as Ian since I assumed it was for bullying. Seeing the full way through and re-watching it, the message is crafted very well. The little details like the color scheme of the bully's wardrobe to match that of a cigarette is very clever.
ReplyDeleteThe metaphor used in this ad is really unique, and a good fit for the teenage audience they're targeting. One thing I do notice with a lot of ads like this is the structure. The ad begins with something that really grabs your attention, such as humor or a disturbing story, and then introduces the informative materials. I think this is a smart decision on the FDA's part, as people may tune the ad out if they know what the message is right from the beginning.
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