When 'small' is 'big'
When it comes to breaking the smoking habit, "just quit" and similar advertising messages have rarely worked, especially in the presence of sophisticated, costly tobacco company branding and promotional efforts.
Just a blink of the eye ago, tobacco products manufacturers were considered the leading advertising spenders in the U.S. and most of the world. In print, on radio and TV and on billboards, we all knew about the Marlboro Man and about walking a mile for a Camel. We knew that Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch, or that a man blowing smoke in a woman's face turned her into a, well, camp follower
(for Tipalet cigars).
Or go back even further. There were
ma
gazine ads that carried a photo of a young Ronald Reagan, cig in
mouth, saying "I'm sending Chesterfields to all my friends this Christmas." In another a smiling couple held a wishbone. The accompanying headline
: "Be happy, go Lucky."
Slowly the messages are fading.
But what should be said today to persuade people that smoking, modeling smoking, and second-hand smoke remain bad for health, just like the Surgeon General says?
One approach is to show that's it very bad for those around the smokers, especially for the innocent, little ones.
That was what we at Splash Creative were asked to proclaim creatively by a coalition of clients led by the Shelby County Health Department recently. The result's centerpiece is a wrapped city bus, with images of children, crayons, cigarettes, a burning jumprope and swirling smoke:
Our message: "The biggest reason to quit is the smallest."
The bus was first "unveiled" to the public this week, and Mayor Luttrell was on hand for the occasion. He called the wrapped bus image "creative genius."
We'll gladly take that particular compliment, Mayor, as we agree with that assessment.
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