Two Day Magazine

This is seriously the best anti-smoking ad I have ever seen. Somehow, the french have managed to turn smoking into some S&M storyline, in which the smoker (portrayed by two effeminate looking boys and one ethereal looking girl) plays the submissive,  on their knees, no less, in front of “The Man”, who is holding their head while they smoke a cigarette. This is pure genius. The french tagline to this ad reads: “Smoking means being a slave to tobacco.”

Can you imagine this ad being aired in the US? We would have countless parent advocacy and religious groups pounding down their doors, calling for these advertisements to be pulled immediately, before the soccer moms start shooting. In France, even, there are family friendly groups that are disgusted and appalled, calling the ads “stupid.”

But, how stupid are they? I mean, you do become addicted to nicotine, enslaved to it, if you will. Albeit, the ad is shocking, and I love the way they made it look almost vintage, but will it appeal to young people? Has our youth become so jaded, so bored with conventional ways that we have resorted to putting up mildly erotic ads to help prevent smoking in teens? And, is there anything really wrong with this, anyway? Sex does sell. We all know it. No matter what you say about sex, it incorporates itself into our lives on a daily basis. Walk by a newsstand. You can’t help but notice pictures of scantily clad women and men posed in enticing positions. Turn on the television and you are likely to see two (or more...) people jumping into bed together, or trying to seduce one another into bed. Listen to the radio (especially mainstream radio) and you will hear songs discussing those intimate between-the-sheets moments for all to hear.  I don’t even need to mention how convenient it is to find sex on the internet...

The question remains, will the ad work? If it does work, and less teens and young adults start smoking, or give up the cigarettes, what will this mean? How will the people against this ad fight it if it is successful at reducing those smoking in France? Only time will tell, I suppose. In the meantime, I think I need a smoke. That ad really got me going.