Eye Spy: Make Smoking History
I saw this TVC a couple of times over the weekend (including during a mind-boggling documentary about the collapse of Lehman Brothers on SBS last night).
Anti-smoking campaigns used to be fertile territory for clever demonstrations and shock-value autopsy scenarios but there’s been a bit of a shift in recent years to showing actual sufferers. I guess the logic is that nothing is as powerful as real human drama.
In this one though, the victim is barely seen at all – just a fleetingglimpse in a photograph, (although there are others in the campaignwhere he is seen more prominently). In this instance, a son tellsthe story of how his father was looking forward to the arrival of hisgrandchild but died before the baby was born.
The production is skilfully handled by the director and editor, keepingit tight but still conveying the sadness of the situation. Much of thecredit must also go to the talent, who delivers the story withunder-stated dignity.
The director must have thought he’d struck gold when the young mannearly cracks toward the end. That sounds awfully cynical, doesn’t it?I blame it on too many of those current affairsinterviews where the interviewer hammers away at someone until they canelicit some tears. However, in this case it’s that moment of genuineemotion and human-ness that elevates this spot and makes a lasting impression.
Too sentimental? Well, the legendary David Abbott once said ” I like thingsthat other people might say are over-sentimental, but I think they justhave sentiment. I think we all get too defensive about that…I think itis one of the most satisfying things you can do in advertising if youcan communicate a strategy and at the same time make it live and beremembered because it touches somebody, either through laughter ortears.”
The ad’s placement on SBS was an unexpected media choice. On onehand, I wouldn’t have picked SBS’s high-income, OG1 audience profile as having a highincidence of smokers, but on the other, perhaps there is a relativelyhigh incidence of smokers amongst its “culturally and linguisticallydiverse” audience. Anyway, it underlines that cancer doesn’t carehow much you earn or what language you speak.
I’m not sure where these kinds of campaigns go from here. Sadly, thereare no doubt plenty of stories like this one to tell, but they couldlose their impact very quickly if over-done. That’s an issue for theplanners to grapple with. In the meantime, this one is strategicallysolid and well executed. 4/5. No, make that 4.5/5.
Martin Trevaskis
7 Comments
I’d love to see this ad run straight after an HBF ad and just before a Chippers funeral ad.
Ideally, the same bloke would be fronting all 3.
First he could be saying “Sure Dad was a bit of a bastard, but I’d forgive him for everything if he’d just come out of that coma – but at least we’re with HBF”
Then on to “Oh well, Dad died, and thats cos he was a smoker, so you should quit”
And finally, here we are at Dads funeral, and Chippers certainly understand funerals”.
All the boxes ticked, sentimental, storytelling, real-time and integrated.
Advertising Gold!
I agree.
His face at the end is a mixture of anger and despair and it gets me every time….
I think the insight of the ‘selfishness’ of smoking in all it’s forms has only just been touched upon, I think there is a fair bit of meat to explore in it.
Hey Gatecrasher, who was the director?
The spots were directed by the very talented Lachlan Milne. Same person who shot Sugar Sugar for the Cancer Council.
Martin,
How do you think it compares with Jon’s Story, the PADC best of show from a while back? http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad_details.php?id=250
I thought John’s Story was a very clever concept and something of a ‘breakthrough’ approach for this kind of campaign.
From memory, 303’s Bryan Dennis had the idea after hearing someone ring into a radio talkback show (on Radio National I think) and tell the story of having to buy lots of tissues. He tried to track down the actual caller without success, so recreated the call and put it to this scenario.
I also thought it was an exceptional piece of work by Allan Myles behind the camera (with Dave Wood directing). The way he shot the supermarket interior gave it a haunting, cinematic quality. The fact that we never actually saw John heightened the sense that this man was so very sick it was too awful to show. Powerful stuff.
This current one is not as clever as an advertising idea – and so probably wont be a PADC Best of Show winner (bear in mind I have an appalling track-record in picking such things) – but it’s a bit more human. It’s a family story affecting three generations and as such touches a wider range of people.
Martin Trevaskis
Brilliant! Best smoking ads, they hit the mark