Thursday, September 24, 2009
Oh look, a bloody guy in a PSA.
Yet another piece submitted by anonymous gmail account by someone running PR for the agency. Lest I run the email as is, you expect more from me. So, this “amazing” hard-hitting (OUCH, YOU GET IT?) spot for the UK’s National Health Service is aimed at, doh, smokers. But lost behind all the Snatch-Lite™ photography is that this thing misses its point. It’s as if all PSAs for health risks only go for shock value at the expense of the underlying intent of the message.
Like cancer, heart disease, etc., smoking is something that accumulates over time, not all at once. The spot may be bloody and get your attention, but so what? Seriously, if you want to shock, shock. But the message better be right.
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1 comment:
Smokers are evil, weak scum who deserve everything they get. That, at least, is the ultimate message following years of this sort of PSA. I think this is all going a bit too far - anti-smoking laws are already hammering people who want a quick drag in a public place.
The trouble is that, unlike drink-driving, it's harder to convey that killer message that this activity will harm others. We've just had a campaign that tried to make smokers feel guilty about the effect of tobacco on kids, but it didn't quite cut it.
Close but no cigar.
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