Every year 440,000 people die from smoking cigarettes in the United States alone. This "activity" has become such a normal occurence in our lives that I hardly notice who smokes and who doesn't. After looking at these pictures of anti-smoking advertisements I began to not only realize that smoking is a big deal, but that America has a responsibility to its citizens to provide as much help as possibly to those who want it.
Anti-smoking campaigns have been around for years and yet smoking is still such an accepted activity. The truth of the matter is that we need to take bigger steps in not only helping to prevent smoking, but in helping those who want/need to quit. Smoking is an addiction. Like any addiction it is a painful process to stop and it takes a lot of strength, determination, and money. Quitting can be very expensive and that combined with the emotional and mental toll it is hard for a person to find the motivation to quit.
The marketing industry can help with all of this. Stop making advertisements that show how bad smoking is for you... the majority of people recognize that fact and start making advertisements that inspire you to quit. Offering a support system could go a long way on the journey to quitting. I'm not saying all the advertisements out there are all bad... I especially like the ones that take into account second hand smoking because it gives a smoker an outside motivator besides their own health to quit.
Obviously, we have come a long way from the days of smoking in restaurants, movie theaters, and bowling alleys, but I think we have quite a journey ahead of us still. Can you think of some other ideas and activities that marketers could do to help this movement?
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