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Almost all around the world, different organizations put their best effort to convince smokers to quit in order to avoid the negative effects of tobacco. The same holds true in the country of Thailand. In the year 2012, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation created a short video advertisement to convince smokers to quit. The foundation is a local agency that aims to promote health and well-being of individuals and the society as a whole. Because smoking causes serious health damage as well as environmental impact, it is not surprising that the Thai Health Promotion Foundation specifically targets to tackle this issue. The video features two children who approach several real-life smokers in an attempt to ask these adult smokers to light the cigarettes they were holding. As expected, the adult smokers refused and warned the children that smoking is bad for their health. In the end, the children handed them a letter that reads “You worry about me, but why not about yourself? Reminding yourself is the most effective warning to help you quit. Call the 1600 hotline to quit smoking.” The video was published online through Youtube in an attempt to spread it through different social media platforms. Clearly, the advertisement is thought provoking and touches the emotions of its viewers, but the ethical side of how it was made can be considered as its main limitation. The smokers presented in the video are real-life smokers, and it was filmed without these people knowing that the video will be used for advertisement. Although no one seemed to file a complaint about, this remains a constraint of the ad. Despite this, the ad called “Smoking Kid” is indeed a powerful anti-smoking campaign material because of how it effectively uses pathos, ethos, and logos.
First of all, the video advertisement uses pathos or appeal to emotions to evoke an emotional response from the target audience (the smokers) in order to convince them to stop smoking. When the kids approach the smokers in order to borrow their lighters and light their own cigars, it already evokes the emotions of fear and hesitation. The smokers in the video most likely felt fear for the lives of the children. This is why they hesitated to help them light their cigarettes. Now, when smokers and even non-smokers watch this video, the same feelings of fear and hesitation will also be transmitted. This reflects the values of giving importance to people’s lives, especially to the lives of the youth. At the same time, when the smokers reminded the children that smoking is bad and that it can make their loves shorter only to find out that the children only wanted to remind them of what they already knew all along, it creates a strong emotional impact that allows the smokers to reflect on their own habits. When other smokers watch this, they may probably think about how their smoking habits are affecting their health, too. In other words, the emotions triggered by the video encourages self-reflection to its target audience, the smokers.
Second, the “Smoking Kid” advertisement uses appeal to ethos or appeal to credibility in a creative manner. Most anti-smoking advertisement either lists down the negative effects of smoking or presents visual representation of these effects. In a nutshell, these advertisements are only reminding the smokers of what they already know. What makes this strategy weak is that it has been used many times before, and many people don’t like to be told about what they should do and what they should not do. In the video, the smokers are the ones who are stating the reasons why smoking is bad. This means that they are the source of the pieces of information that they need to be reminded of. In this situation, no one seems to be more credible than one’s self, which makes the video quite effective. Now, when other smokers watch the video and hear other smokers state the negative effects of smoking, it will make them reflect on their own beliefs and knowledge with respect to their own smoking habits. By having one’s self as the source of message, it adds to the credibility of the advertisement.
Lastly, the “Smoking Kid” advertisement uses logos or appeal to logic, otherwise known as common sense. In the video, it is clear that the smokers know exactly how dangerous it is to keep smoking. This is why they didn’t allow to light the cigarettes of the children because they care about their lives. Because they know that smoking kills, it is just logical that they stop smoking. However, this is something that they seemed to have forgotten. Through their encounter with the children, they are reminded of this simple logic. When others watch this video, this same appeal to logic will also be delivered.
Overall, the message of the “Smoking Kid” advertisement focuses on the value of taking care of one’s life. Through the use of different rhetorical appeals, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation effectively delivers this message to its target audience, the smokers in Thailand and all around the world. First of all, it uses appeal to pathos or appeal to emotions by triggering fear, hesitation, and concern that encourage self-reflection among smokers. In addition, the advertisement also uses appeal to ethos or appeal to credibility by making sure that the pieces of information about the effects of smoking does not come from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation. This same strategy has been used over and over again in the past. Instead of lecturing smokers about why they should stop smoking, the advertisement allowed the smokers to talk to themselves with the help of the children. By hearing one’s self as the source of the message, this makes the advertisement far more credible than other anti-smoking ad that has been developed in the past. Lastly, it also uses appeal to logos. The smokers are reminded of the simple logic that if they care for others, they must also care for themselves, which is why they should stop smoking. These three rhetorical appeals make the “Smoking Kid” advertisement a successful and powerful advertising material.
Works Cited
Ogilvy. “Smoking Kid - Best of #OgilvyCannes 2012 / #CannesLions.” Online video. Youtube. Youtube, 6 June 2013. Web. 15 June 2016.
