Journal #5

Link to PSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj_yJ8flHes

The PSA is an anti-smoking ad titled "What If You Could See the Damage Cigarettes Do?". The video was sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. I encountered this PSA while looking through anti-smoking ads online and decided that it was particularly moving. The ad was released in 2007 in the United States.

The target audience of the campaign is cigarette smokers in the United States. The video does not seem to be specifically targeting any demographic or individual in a certain stage of change. While the video should be impactful for all cigarette smokers, it would be most powerful for heavy cigarette smokers and addicts. The video depicts the harmful effects that long-term cigarette smoking can bring which would only occur for the most addicted individuals. The video may also be targeting a secondary audience of friends or families of serious cigarette smokers. Addicts often cannot realize or accept their issue without the help of others. The video demonstrates that while nothing may appear wrong on the outside, their health is slowly deteriorating on the inside.

The objectives is to demonstrate the health problems that arise from smoking cigarettes and ultimately get cigarette smokers to consider quitting their habit.This poster is different from most anti-smoking ads in that it demonstrates the detrimental effects of smoking cigarettes, rather than simply talking about them.

While the video is powerful, it could potentially cause the audience to turn away due to its graphic nature. Putting the ad on television opens the video to a wide audience and the off-putting visuals could anger parents whose children are watching. The organization must be conscious of what platforms they use to deliver the video and how they do so.

If I could ask the director of the campaign one question it would be how the organization determined the impact of the campaign and how they measured their success.

I found this PSA to be very powerful and effective as it brings to light an important issue that isn't often seen in cigarette ads. The vulgarity of the ad is also vital to creating change and caused me to view it seriously.