Using Terminal Smokers to Scare Others into Quitting...

The recent ads that promote the anti-

smoking campaign focus upon people 

who have terminal health issues as a 

result of their addiction to nicotine and 

cigarettes. While these ads may be

having some impact; this strategy fully 

embraces fear as the tactic to affect 

change. This is an old approach, dating 

back at least to when the actor Yul 

Brunner made the PSA about his lung 

cancer in the 80s. Does advertising only

know how to use positive spin when 

promoting cigarettes? I can't understand 

why the only considered approach to get 

people to stop smoking is the use of 

negative advertising. More fear mongering.  

Who has decided that fear works?

My question is this- why is there no interest 

in showing the good side of quitting smoking, 

the positive aspects that are all the right 

reasons to quit?  Clean smell, fresh air,

health, money saved-those sort of things. 

Why isn't smoke free success any part of 

the ad campaign? Are the Mad Men afraid 

this approach wouldn't work? 

It's certainly never been tried.

I'm guessing that a few hundred million 

people have died from cigarettes since 

I was born. I have buried seven family 

members from smoking related illnesses. 

I was addicted for almost forty years-but 

I quit, and am healthier than I have been 

in thirty years. In the almost three years 

since I stopped, I have regained almost 

all of my lung capacity, my sense of smell, 

my singing voice and saved more than 

$8,000. My friends say I look much healthier, 

smell and sound infinitely better and have 

completely stopped the daily coughing 

routine that creeped them out.

Intimidating people by foisting visions of 

carcinogenic horror upon them seems a 

short term fix at most. People block images 

they don't want to remember. Do I need to 

have a tracheotomy or a portion of my lung 

removed to make my point?  It's too late 

then. I believe that for the world to become 

smoke free, policies and strategies that 

encourage all the great aspects of a no 

smoking lifestyle, complete with various 

incentive programs, is the long term 

solution to decrease global tobacco use.

Leaders like Mayor Michael Bloomberg and 

President Vladimir Putin are on the right track.

The whole point is to quit before it's too late, 

right? There's nothing wrong with listening 

to someone who figured this out in time. 

Maybe it's time for smoke free ads about 

winning the battle? Like "DON'T take a puff,
it's Springtime!" A survivor seems like 

a far better spokesperson. Going smoke 

free is supposed to be a new lease on life, 

not the End of Days. Take the long view.

I remain an optimist.