Anti Tobacco Ads Synthesis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been in charge of overseeing the production and advertisement of tobacco products since 2009 (“Tobacco Control Act” 1). This power was given to the FDA by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, and has allowed them to limit the advertising of tobacco products to youth (“Tobacco Control Act” 1). The FDA uses this law to prevent youth use of tobacco products, but has also created their own anti-tobacco advertisement campaign, called “The Real Cost”. “The Real Cost” campaign's goal is to educate at-risk teens of the dangers of tobacco use and to prevent and reduce youth tobacco users. One of the advertisements in this campaign is “Science Class”. In the their anti-tobacco advertisement,

Lighting is one of the best ways to create a mood or highlight something within an advertisement. The advertisement begins with a wide-angle shot of the science classroom. In the classroom the blinds are shut and only two of the ceiling lights are on. This creates a lack of light, making the room appear dim and gloomy, or suspense. This suspenseful appearance plays a huge role in creating the fear in the advertisement’s viewers. As “Science Class” advances, the viewer's attention is drawn to the bright laboratory lamp and the creature that lays beneath it. This bright lamp brings the attention to the “monster”, the thing the advertisement is arguing against. If it were not for the, single, focused, light being on the “monster”, the audience may not pay attention to what is being said about it or how scary it is, they may instead look at the minor details in the

These three things work hand-in-hand to make the advertisement realistic, suspenseful, and informative. The choice of location, plus the lighting in the classroom create an air of suspense for viewers. The list of facts about the “monster” and the fearful students, make the “monster” realistic. The interrelations between these advertisement tactics, argue the FDA’s point in an appealing way to teenagers. The FDA wanted to educate and argue against cigarette use in “Science Class” and they did just