A Powerful Message

With all the science and media coverage today, it's no secret that cigarettes are not beneficial to one's health. There are numerous nonsmoking campaigns aired during commercial breaks each day, but none as impressionable as an ad where children as adults for cigarettes.  There have been many anti-smoking ads over the years.  Some are simple, but others are much more graphic.  I've seen commercials where a doctor cuts into the brain of a deceased person who was a smoker.  The graphic ads left a burning image in my mind, but it was an image I wanted to quickly get rid of.  That's why I think the children campaign is so effective.

In this ad, Indonesian children approach smoking strangers, asking them for a lighter.  At first, many adults are taken aback, shocked by how young the inquirer is.  Every single adult refused to help the child smoke a cigarette.  Some adults even tried discouraging the children from smoking, listing reasons why it's bad for you.  The commercial ends with the children handing the smoker a note reading, "You worry about me. But why not about yourself?"  This powerful message leaves the smokers stunned and speechless.