I have given up a couple of times. The last time was August 18 2006. Not that I remember it or anything. Unlike other times I have given up, this time I don't miss it. When I gave up in 2004, I stopped for about a year as well, but then would started social smoking about five or six a week. I know small beer, but really you quit or you don't.The study, published in the British journal Tobacco Control, said that a poll of 3,100 young cinema-goers found ads before films that glamorise smoking made it more likely smokers would continue the habit. Duh. Smoking is cool... okay it looks cool on screen. It looks cool like Rayban Wayfarers, Zippos and open top cars. People are (easily) influenced by seeing film stars and people in bands puffing away. Cigarettes & Alcohol? I finally found something worth living for (until I decided that as much as I like Marlboro Lights, the bad skin and stinky clothes thing had really had its day).The anti-smoking ad, shot in the style of a movie trailer, was shown before films that glamorised smoking and it was found to have no positive impact in helping people give up and if anything it was more likely to keep smokers smoking.After the film, a quarter of smokers who had not seen the ad said they were still likely to be smoking in one year. This increased to 39% among smokers who had seen the ad. The effect was strongest among female smokers.In contrast, non-smokers who saw the ad were less likely to smoke in the future than those who had not.Despite anti smoking ads not appearing to work, Dr Diane Bull said she was that they could in future. "Caution must be exercised in the type of advertisement screened as some types of advertising may reinforce smokers' intentions to smoke."Lead researcher Christine Edwards, from NSW Health, said: "It seems you really need that very negative, graphic anti-smoking message to really get through here, and even those don't work on smokers."This seems to support the success that the shock British Heart Foundation 'dripping fat cigarette' ad had. It 2004 ad, created by Euro RSCG London, was graphic and stuck in the memories of 90% of those who saw it.The ad concluded with a graphic scene where an artery is being squeezed to show fat coming out of it. Naturally it got dozens of complaints. But despite being shocking, clearly it is still not enough, which begs the question what does it take?
That really only leaves us with July 1. Where anti smoking ads fail banning smoking in all public places is the thing, I think, will really have the affect and lasting impact. Roll on July 1.
Gordon Macmillan
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