Stamping On Self-Esteem In Smokers.
There are some television adverts which are completely unnecessary. Do we really need to see the very latest panty liners and hear exactly how much absorbency they have? Must we bear witness to the next generation of soap powders and learn of their vastly improved recipes? And what is it with multiple blade razors??? First it was a twin blade, then a triple and now a quadruple. Why didn’t they just invent one that had more angled blades in the first place? ‘The new dodecahedron razor from Gillette’.
Well, here is another pretty pointless advertising campaign; it’s for the ‘NHS Smokefree Service’. It would appear that previous attacks on smokers are insufficient. Apparently, it is not enough for them to have to ‘get their fix’ outdoors because of the nationwide ban. And huge, stark health warnings plastered across the fronts of fag packets is now lacking. Yes, the NHS has come up with brand new tactics; they are part of a group affectionately known as ‘guilt-trip visual torture’.
Footage of children talking about their fears of losing a parent; and all because of their selfish smoking habit. Pictures of smokers left high and dry atop giant cigarettes in the street; rescued by nice people from government health authorities. And photographs on tobacco products that look like stills from ‘Driller Killer’ or ‘I Spit on Your Grave’.
Does the government really need to make smokers feel even worse about themselves? You are already a social pariah if you enjoy a cigarette. Besides, if anyone does want to give up, they will go and ask their doctor for help and advice.
Perhaps the authorities would do better to run an advertising campaign about drugs or the amount of weapons on our streets. I am sure that both of these are far more harmful (and anti-social) than a few mild-mannered smokers.
I do however recommend that everyone who enjoys a good campaign check out the Strategic Marketing Enigin blog that I have recently discovered. There are some really great ideas in it in regards to an environmentally friendly campaign!