A new series of graphic anti-smoking ads are saturating the airwaves at all hours of the day in central New York. They show people who had undergone surgery for smoking related diseases, giving advise on how to cope. They're part of a $54 million advertising campaign by the Centers for Disease Control and have been adapted the New York State Health Department's Tobacco Control program to promote the NY QUITS hotline.
Many viewers however feel the anti-smoking ads are too graphic especially for young children. Becca Ryan told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon, "I think they're pretty disturbing to watch. I guess they do a good job at not wanting people to get involved with tobacco."
Henry Wuertzer calls the ads, "a lot of shock value instead of education."
But Wuertzer's wife, Gina supports the campaign, "I'm for them on may levels... being a nurse and working with children and adolescents I see to a certain extent the utility in the shock advertising."
Aaron Hugo of the Pinkney Hugo Group, an advertising firm, says he is personally troubled by the ads. "When you go to scare tactic advertising... ultimately people are going to become de-sensitized to it over time. What's next? ... You start worrying about what would be next to try to scare people."
Hugo says however that research shows such advertising can be very effective.
The local office of the American Cancer Society issued a statement. "Graphic and emotional ads have proved highly effective at getting people to quit smoking and keeping kids from starting to smoke. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network would like to see New York State's tobacco control program better funded so it can run more of these types of ads."
