A new study suggests that graphic or emotional antismoking advertisements are effective, according to an article on Newswise.
Smokers who had seen these ads in the past year were more likely to have tried to quit than those who had viewed less-intense ads (American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November 2012, Vol. 43:5). The graphic ads were effective across different races and incomes, according to researchers at RTI International.
The New York Tobacco Control Program's ads, which ran from 2003 to 2011, were the focus of the study. Smokers responded to surveys asking questions about their recall of the ads, smoking habits, and desire to quit in addition to personal information such as income level, and race. By referring to media market data, the researchers found that the participants viewed an average of three graphic and three comparison antismoking ads monthly in that time.
The comparison ads, which encouraged quitting but without emotional content, did not increase smokers' attempts to quit. However, the respondents who recalled the graphic ads were 29% more likely to have tried to quit.
A strong emotional component is key to getting smokers to consider smoking cessation, the researchers concluded.
