Brilliant Anti-Smoking Campaign
In this image, the children are obviously upset or in pain because of the plastic bag made of cigarette smoke around their heads. The smoke is choking them, similar to an actual plastic bag. The caption “smoking isn’t just suicide, it’s murder” states that people who smoke aren’t the only ones affected by cigarettes.
This ad is clearly an anti-smoking ad, but appeals to smokers in a different way. Pathos is strongly exhibited here, because nobody wants to see an innocent child suffer because of the choices of others to smoke in front of them. The audience targeted here is smokers, or smokers with children more specifically. People without children probably wouldn’t want to smoke in front of young kids, or might seriously re-evaluate who they smoke in front of after seeing this. People with children hopefully don’t smoke near them. If they do, then this ad campaign is targeted towards exactly that.
The pathos appeal in this ad is extreme. The tagling “smoking isn’t just suicide, it’s murder” forces one to take a step back and really examine this ad. Its shocking and makes you really think. One could argue that the campaign is essentially calling parents murderers – not in so many words, but it is implied. If that doesn’t convince a parent, grandparent, sibling, or anyone else interacting with a child to at least consider quitting smoking, I would be shocked. I certainly hope that after seeing this ad, people will reevaluate the decision to smoke in front of children just as you said.