Hightower 1

Stephen Hightower
ENC 1101
Ashley Humphries
3/23/15
Word Count: 1825

Anti Smoking
The ad I decided to go with was about smoking. After many years of witnessing
grandparents on both sides suffer with the consequences of smoking and the anger and
sadness my parents showed towards them every time they lit another cigarette. Towards
the end when my grandmother lost a leg to the blockage in her tissue, not even a month
had past after the surgery once she started smoking again. This was when I realized it
really isnt because she liked to do it, it was because she really was addicted. After seeing
many ads about how fascinating cigarettes were back in the day, I decided to create an
anti ad that would show people in the past what they were getting themselves into.
The first thing I saw when I came upon this ad was the words I remember
Momma and Poppa. This was fairly easy to replace, since 443,000 people die
prematurely from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8.6 million
live with a serious illness caused by smoking. I decided to simply change the
exclamation mark to . This gave a subtle, but meaningful feel to the whole phrase, so
the reader can infer that something bad had happened or is currently happening to the
little kids parents. I decided to also change the little boys face from smiling, to crying to
intensify the message I was trying to convey to the reader from the opening quote.

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During the 1950s and sixties, the amount of people smoking cigarettes was
astonishing. The need for cigarettes was an everyday necessity and even doctors would
prescribe them. The ad that I chose to write about really catches the eyes of any one
glancing across the page. At first glance the bring colors really brings the reader to the
ads attention, with the addition of the bright, vivid colors it really gives the reader and
people who smoke cigarettes the idea that smoking is going to be a cheerful time and not
bring upon any negatives. The ad alone shows no sign of anything negative about
smoking cigarettes, such as bad breath, yellowing of teeth, and the fatal, deathly
consequences. The large centerpiece, which is the carton of Chesterfield cigarettes is
centered so it is seen as the most important part of the ad. This is to grab the readers eye,
and send the message that if you are going to give a gift to someone then a carton is
always a gift. The Boys gesture to his parents saying I remember momma and Poppa!
really sums up the piece as a whole as it shows the lack of knowledge people during this
time had towards cigarettes. The reason this caught my eyes was the fact that the ad
seems to be so cheerful and upbeat, which baffled me in the thought that during this time
cigarettes were so care free, even doctors prescribed cigarettes to their patients. The
amount of people who die each year is depicted in this ad through the smiles of a young
boy, who bought his parents cigarettes to show that cigarettes will make anyone happier,
when in reality cigarettes eventually will make one miserable.
In my anti ad I decided to target the new age of people who smoke cigarettes and
the people who thought it was the correct choice during the fifties and sixties to smoke.
Part of the original ad is going to stay the same because the lack of knowledge came in
handy to show that if you dont care the results are not as good as youre thinking they

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will be. The anti ad really takes a darker approach to the entire piece, but that is with the
knowledge of the world today. After seeing what cigarettes can do to someone on a
personal experience, cigarettes really are looked at in a completely different outlook. The
severity of the addiction is not portrayed in the original ad what so ever, and that is why
the color I decided to go with was gray. The reason behind this is, cigarettes should never
be glorified in any way shape or form, the anti ad really starts off with a negative take on
cigarettes with the gray background. It then moves onto the opening quote of I
remember momma and poppa. The change from the more upbeat quote to the more
depressing was that in this kids case, the result of his parents smoking these cigarettes
was not a pleasant outcome. I left the actual outcome up for interpretation since there are
a wide variety of health conditions people can obtain from smoking. This goes hand and
hand with the little boy, I changed him from smiling to upset because, An estimated 88
million nonsmoking Americans, including 54% of children aged 311 years, are exposed
to secondhand smoke. Even brief exposure can be dangerous because nonsmokers inhale
many of the same poisons in cigarette smoke as smokers. And most likely if both of his
parents are smoking he is getting exposed to high amounts of second hand smoke. The
original ad shows that cigarettes can bring a family together because if the boy buys his
parents cigarettes for mothers day or fathers day they will be happy. However if he wants
them always happy any time they have a carton of cigarettes is the only time they are
truly in a good mood. Lastly the thing I changed from the original was instead of having
the pack of cigarettes by itself, I changed it to a gravestone. This is to symbolize that
cigarettes may cause death, on the new packs of cigarettes it says cigarettes may cause
cancer, this little adjustment was somewhat of a way of notifying the readers that

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cigarettes can lead to death, but the other side affects had been hinted at in the other parts
of the ad.
The original ad obviously appealed to everyone back in the time it was originally
marketed even little kids who would give cigarettes as presents. As there was a lack of
knowledge about how the world should look at cigarettes, the ad did a good job in giving
kids and parents positives that came out of smoking, rather than exploiting the fatal
outcomes. The new ad really focuses on getting the true outcomes and hazards of
smoking cigarettes out there. Although, the ad originally came out in a time where little
information had been found out how fatal cigarettes really could be, it shouldnt have
made it appeal to kids. With the vivid colors and child with a huge grin on his face from
being reminded of his parents when he sees the box of cigarettes. This most likely makes
these types of kids want to follow in their parents footsteps which obviously would be to
smoke the same kind. This is the complete opposite message that the company, and or
media should be publicizing. Even in other cases where the child may not want to smoke,
his or her parents are smoking in which they are receiving second hand smoke at a very
high rate, and in large amounts which can lead to serious disease and death, including
heart disease as well.
The anti ad I created really portrays the extreme negatives about what cigarettes
can cause long term. Opposing the original ad the new ad goes long term rather than
pleasing the little kids parents. The anti ad really appeals to the people in todays society
because, now that people know the consequences of what smoking can lead to, they are
wanting to see negative smoking ads. Prior generations didnt know what could come out
of it so if they saw this ad during the fifties and sixties they most likely would feel the

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same as the current generations. The anti ad really kills any positive outcome for
cigarettes, it gives the more personal side, and also leaves room for people to give their
own experiences with either themselves or family and friends. Cigarettes went from
being looked at as a social tool, stress reliever and in the original ad, bringing a family
closer together. This anti ad really shows that a simple cigarette can lead to so many more
problems that the original ad contradicted. The ad misleads the actions of cigarettes, and
didnt include any health facts.
Both ads would be effective in their different eras. Although, they would both
work in their specific eras, the anti ad would most likely work in any given era. This is
because the ad can shine a light on the information not given to the era of the nineteen
fifties through the nineteen sixties. This would open the eyes of the millions of people
that didnt know the outcome of long-term exposure to tobacco. However, the original ad
most likely worked extremely well in its era, if it was released in todays society it would
be instantly be taken down with the facts and history of what people know today.
In todays society the health facts are pointed out in everything, but during the
fifties and sixties there was a lot less knowledge about serious health risks on cigarettes.
During the fifties and sixties nobody really cared what was in cigarettes, it was socially
acceptable and it kept people calm. This was due to the lack of knowledge during the
time. However the ads that were created were to benefit the sales of cigarettes and in that
light it really helped. This was a positive outcome of these ads, but with the information
we know about cigarettes today the ad looks like an invitation to your own funeral. In
todays society the anti ad towards cigarettes is on nearly every commercial break you
have between shows. The reason for creating the anti ad was to appeal to the younger

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audiences as well as the older generations that still continue to smoke even after they
have seen the results of this long-term exposure. From personal experience my family has
had regular smokers from prior to the fifties and sixties and it resulted in life changing
disabilities. Even though their life was in constant worry due to these illnesses and
handicaps the family members continued to smoke. The reason for changing parts of the
as; such as the boy from smiling to being extremely upset and crying was because other
than the fact that second hand smoke can cause as many problems, the main talking point
from the original ad to the anti ad was the family being brought together. Through
personal experience the outcome of cigarettes does the complete opposite and that is
tearing families apart. This anti ad really takes the original ad and ads the information we
know of today to show the outcome, thus appealing to the older age groups as well as
keep appealing to the kids in todays society.

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Citation Page
"Tobacco Use." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.