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Prepare yourself for more graphic anti-smoking ads
By now you've probably been properly jarred by 52-year-old Terrie Hall and her heartbreaking, hard-to-watch morning routine. And if you're a fan of the squirm-inducing anti-smoking ad — or have ever thought to yourself, "This is enjoyable! More, please!" — we have some good news for you: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are planning to launch phase two of this graphic anti-smoking campaign, meaning more commercials like Ms. Hall's are coming to a tube near you. Reports the Associated Press:
Last year's similar $54 million campaign was the agency's first and largest national advertising effort. The government deemed it a success: That campaign triggered an increase of 200,000 calls to quit lines. The CDC believes that likely prompted tens of thousands of smokers to quit based on calculations that a certain percentage of callers do actually stop. [Associated Press]
And so the CDC is putting another $48 million behind this initiative, including spots on TV, online, in print, and on radio. "Most smokers want to quit. These ads encourage them to try," says CDC director Tom Frieden.
What kind of ads can we expect? According to the AP, the new campaign "tilts more toward the impact smokers have on others" rather than the sufferers themselves. Expect an ad featuring a cheerleader who experiences frequent asthma attacks from being around too much cigarette smoke, as well as a "Louisiana woman who was 16 when her mother died from smoking-related causes."
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A 2012 Gallup poll indicates that smoking is down among young adults, college students, and people who live on the East Coast. The figures suggest that only one in five U.S. adults now smoke, which is tied for an all-time low.
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Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
