Anti-Smoking Campaign Analysis

Advertisers use emotions to evoke feelings in consumers in order to sell products. One of the main emotions advertisers use is fair. Public service announcements tries to invoke fear in people to promote a change of behavior and lifestyle. One of the current social causes that the public are fighting against is smoking. According to the Truth Initiation in 2003 23% of teens smoked cigarettes and now in 2017, only 6% of teens smoke cigarettes. With that being said anti-tobacco efforts truly do have an impact on our society. One of the leading anti-smoking campaigns is funded by the American Cancer Society and their ad from the 90’s is a great example on how the smoking epidemic was reduced through powerful ads. The American Cancer Society released an ad in 1993 supporting the idea that smoking is

Until the US Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health came out in 1964 and connected lung cancer to smoking. A few years later in 1967 the FCC created the Fairness Doctrine to require broadcast stations to show both sides of controversial issues such as smoking. That is when anti-smoking campaigns began to be broadcasted on TV and later in 1971 all cigarette brands were banned from advertising on TV and radio stations. One of the biggest organizations supporting anti-smoking movements is the Truth Initiative, which was first funded by settlement money from the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998. The Master Settlement Agreement had the biggest impact because it reduced advertising to children within video games and movies. Truth’s current main purpose is to get children to not begin the habit of smoking. In contrast in the past anti-smoking ads were targeting adult smokers to stop. According to the American Cancer Society, life expectancy had an “increase of 2.3 years for men and 1.6 years for women after age 40” due to the anti-tobacco efforts