Anti-Smoking Tobacco Advertisement - Essay Example

? Tobacco use poses a serious health challenge to the Canadian people. This is because excessive use of tobacco can result to an individual getting chronic diseases such as lung cancer and the esophageal cancer. It can also create a bone fracture, and the rise of an osteoporosis medical condition (Wilms, 2013). To prevent this from happening, the Canadian ministry of health embarked on creating advertisement programs aimed at discouraging the use of tobacco amongst the youth and young adults. In March 2013, the ministry of health came up with an advertising campaign that which compared smoking with flatulence. The response of this advertisement is twofold, there is one group that supports it, arguing that it is effective in depicting smoking as an anti-social behavior. This is the stand that Hager (2013), an editor with the Ottawa Citizen. This is an online newsfeed that is only available via the internet. However, Quan (2013), an editor with the times news feed has a different opinion. According to her, the advert is ineffective in portraying smoking as an anti-social behavior. This is because flatulence is a normal activity among mammals. According to her, the advert encourages people to smoke because it portrays it as a normal behavior. This is because it uses the notion of flatulence. The third article that this paper analyzes is a journal article by Pechmann and Reibling (2000). This journal talks about how to create an effective anti-smoking advertisement campaign in Canada, and the United States. It uses a case study approach in explaining the effective method of creating an advertisement campaign. Basing on that, this paper takes a stand that to create an effective anti-smoking advertisement; the creators of the advertisement must consider the age of the spokesman, the content of the message, and the manner in which the advertisers depict the behavior. Quan(2013) in her article argues against the use of flatulence in creating an anti-smoking advertisement campaign. According to her, flatulence is a normal biological process amongst mammals, and on this basis, equating smoking with flatulence sends a message that smoking is a normal social behavior. According to her, the intention of the advertisers was to denote that smoking is as embarrassing as engaging in a farting activity. This idea is wrong, and she denotes that there is nothing embarrassing with farting. She even further goes on to denote that even small children know that farting is a normal biological process. Quan (2013) describes the 53 seconds video advert. She denotes that the video depicts a young woman who admits that she farts at parties, but this does not make her a farter. According to Quan (2013), the intention of the advertisers was to denote that smoking is wrong, and it doesn’t matter where the act takes place. However, to her, the use of video in this campaign was ineffective, and therefore did not meet the objectives of the advertisers. Hager (2013) on the other hand does not agree with Quan. Hager denotes that the advertisement achieved its objective of depicting smoking as an anti-social behavior (2013). According to Hager, the target of the advertisement was people between the ages of 18 to 29. Hager denotes that farting is an embarrassing social behavior, and using this concept in the anti-smoking advertising campaign manages to give a message that smoking is an embarrassing and ridiculous social behavior. Hager (2013) further goes on to denote that the use of a young woman in the anti-smoking advertisement campaign is an effective method of reaching out to the young people. This is because they identify with her age. To support his opinion, Hager gives the number of views that the campaign got in the social media. He denotes that the advert got 36000 views within a week of its release. This to him is a proof that the advert was effective in sending out its message. Pechmann and Reibling (2000) on the other hand, in their Journal article describe how to create an effective anti-tobacco campaign in Canada and USA that targets the young people. This article denotes that efficiency in an advertising campaign depends on the consistency, content and clarity of the message that the campaign seeks to pass. Other variables that the creators of an advertising campaign should consider are the age of the spokesperson in the advert, and the manner in which the advert portrays the behavior under consideration. This article uses a case study approach to analyze how the variables mentioned above can contribute to the reduction of tobacco use. By analyzing these articles, the arguments by Hager (2013), Pechmann and Reibling (2000) are credible, well supported and perfectly documented. This is because the two authors are using case studies in articulating their ideas, as well as evidence in relation to numbers on the effects of the advertisements. For example, Hager argues that the advertisement was so effective, that it managed to create a social buzz in Canada. He justifies this statement by giving a numerical value of 36,000 views on you tube, in just one week. You Tube is a social site that is used on most occasions by young people, for purposes of interaction. The main target of the anti-smoking fart advert was the youth, and the intention was to discourage them from smoking. Pechmann and Reibling (2000) on the hand use real case study example in United States and Canada to explain the effects of advertisements campaign on anti-smoking behavior, and on how to build an effective advertisement campaign. From this research, Pechmann and Reibling interviewed a total of 1128 children between the ages of 12 to 13 years, and those between the ages of 15-16 years. This is because most advertisement in Canada, target individuals as young as these ages (Montvilo, 2013). This is because they are in their adolescence periods, and most vulnerable to engage in smoking. From their results, Pechmann and Reibling use a number of communication professionals to analyze the results, and thereafter draw a conclusion. The results of their findings denote that content, depiction of the smoking behavior, clarity, consistency and age of a spokesperson can play a great role in enhancing the effectiveness of an anti-smoking advertisement. Quan (2013) holds the opinion that the advertisement campaign by the Canadian ministry of health is not effective in achieving its objectives. She relies basically on a biological explanation that fart is an aspect of flatulence which is a normal reaction in mammals (Montvilo, 2013). However, she does not give statistics, on the reactions of the youth towards the advertisement (Quan, 2013). On this basis, her assertions are not credible. Smoking is a social behavior, and the main purpose of the advertisement was to make smoking as an anti-social behavior, Quan fails to give us a social dimension on why the advertisement failed, and also on this basis, her assertions are not credible. In my own opinion, I agree with the views of Pechmann and Reibling (2000) that to develop an effective advertisement campaign, it is important to incorporate the following variables, consistency, anti-smoking message behavior, age of the spokesperson, clarity and content. From the fart filled advertisement, we can denote that the use of a young woman farting is effective in depicting smoking as an anti-social behavior. Though farting is a biological process, it can be embarrassing, and that is the reason as to why the creators of the advertisement used the concept of farting. The age of the spokesperson is youthful, and thus she appeals to the Canadian youth. Another concept is the content of the message. The content of this message is clear, and understandable (Mate?, 2013). From the message of the advertisement, we can denote that smoking is an anti-social behavior. On this note, I believe that the advertisement satisfied the criteria established by Pechmann and Reibling (2000) on developing an effective advertisement campaign. My perception concerning this issues stems from my professional believes that to effectively discourage a given deviant behavior, the best way is to depict the behavior in a manner that is embarrassing to the person with the behavior, and unacceptable within the society (Mate?, 2013). I believe that smoking is a deviant behavior, and it can also lead to chronic illnesses. I also believe that people start smoking at a younger age, and to reduce the number of people smoking, it is important to convince the youth not to engage in the deviant behavior. On this basis, the advert by using a young woman manages to attract the attention of the youth, and by using the concept of farting, the advert manages to highlight smoking as an anti-social behavior. This in turn will succeed in discouraging a sizable number of people from smoking, for instance, Hager denotes that the advert attracted 36,000 views on you tube. In conclusion, this paper describes how to create an effective anti-smoking advertisement. This paper manages to summarize two articles that talk about a recent anti-smoking advertisement in Canada, and a third article on how to create an effective anti-smoking advertisement in Canada. For instance, from this article we can learn that smoking is a social problem, and to reduce the number of people who smoke, it is important to use a social method of depicting the behavior as a deviant. This paper analyzes identifies areas that the authors agree on, and where they do not agree on. From this paper, we can denote that Pechmann and Reibling agree with analysis of Hager, in relation on how to create an effective advertising campaign. References: Hager, M. (n.d.). Fart-filled Ministry of Health anti-smoking ad hits a nerve (with video). Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/canada/Fart+filled+Ontario+anti+smoking+hits+ner ve+video/8144334/story.html Mate?, G. (2013). In the realm of hungry ghosts: close encounters with addiction. Mississauga, Ont.: Vintage Canada ;. Montvilo, R. K. (2013). Addictions and substance abuse. Ipswich, Mass.: Salem Press. Pechmann, C., & Reibling, T. (2000). Anti-Smoking Advertising Campaigns Targeting Youth: Case Studies from USA and Canada. Tobacco Control, 9(2), 18-31. Quan, K. (n.d.). Canadian Ad Equates ‘Social Smoking’ to ‘Social Flatulence’. TIME: News Feed. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/20/watch-canadian-ad- equates-social-smoking-to-social-flatulence/ Wilms, L. (2013). Canadian Pharmacists Association guide to drugs in Canada (4th ed., 4th Canadian ed.). Toronto: Dorling Kindersley. Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Read More