Anti-Cigarette Ads: The Fear Factor

Everyone's seen them. They can be perceived as scary or flat-out weird, but regardless they leave the viewer with a negative, uneasy feeling. Anti-cigarette ads have been on the air since the late 20th century. As technology and special effects have improved in the advertisement industry, so has anti tobacco company's ability to frighten people into avoiding cigarettes. For this entry, I will be examining a tobacco ad on a closer level, to try and find the appeals and techniques being utilized to get the message across.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Q5qGgfz_Q
I'm sure anyone reading this has already seen the above ad before. The seen opens up with an eerie-looking convenience store. Dark lighting and an evil-looking clown already provide an unsettling feel. The clip seems more like a horror film than an ad at this point. As the customer pulls out his money and id, he guiltily asks for, "A pack of menthols." The cashier looks totally unwelcoming and evil, and not once does smile throughout the entire ad. When he tells the customer that the cigarettes will cost more just the money, the customer conveniently garbs a pair of pliers from his pocket. What young person going to a convenience store casually carries pliers in their pocket? The most cringing moment of the entire ad is the crunching sound of the man ripping a tooth from his gums. The fact that the man so willingly rips out his tooth to get a pack of cigarettes really emphasizes the seriousness of tobacco addiction. The cashier ends the exchange with "see you again," which delivers the idea that cigarette buyers have to go through the same traumatic experience whenever they want to purchase a pack of smokes,

People have the need to feel safe and nurtured, yet this ad makes viewers feel vulnerable and insecure. The FDA closes its advertisement by saying that cigarettes not only costs you money, but also your teeth. While the clip doesn't show the customer suffering from gum cancer, it still rattles viewers with him ripping his tooth out. The image and sound played in this climatic moment are ingrained into the minds of viewers. Personally, every time that I see a convenience store, I now think of the deafening crunch of a customer tearing a precious tooth from his mouth. I urge the reader to watch this ad, even if they've seen it before, and really take in the sound and image of the tooth scene. I personally cannot stand tobacco. If it takes an ad attacking a person's feeling of comfort and safety to end smoking, then I support it 100%.