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,

‘Science Class’, the FDA effectively argues against the harmful effects of tobacco use, specifically cigarettes. The FDA makes their argument by building relatability, using suspenseful lighting, and stating the unfortunate truths about cigarettes.
The advertisement is only thirty seconds long, but clearly conveys the FDA’s argument in the allotted time. “Science Class” is, unsurprisingly, in a science classroom. The teacher is lecturing, and lacks ebullience about the “monster” he is dissecting. The students sit disinterested, hearing him talk about what makes up the “monster” and the dangers it possesses. These dangers, suddenly become real for everyone in the classroom, when the “monster” springs up ,and leaving a messy trail in its path, disappears into a cigarette box. The information the teacher provides, plus the disappearing into the cigarette box, corroborates that the “monster” is a symbol for cigarettes. “Science Class” ends with information from the ads sponsor, the FDA, and the name of the campaign, “The Real Cost”.
“Science Class”, like the rest of “The Real Cost” campaign, is targeted at teenagers. This means that teens should feel a sense of relatability to the advertisement and what it is trying to do. To build this relatability the FDA hired a diverse cast, chose a common location, and created familiar emotions. The diverse cast allowed the advertisement to appeal to more than one race or social status. Everyone was represented, meaning every teen, no matter circumstance or demographic, can be negatively affected by cigarettes. The location of this anti-tobacco ad was an eery science classroom. A large majority of teenagers across the United States have been in a science class, full of lab desks and bright chemicals, at least once in their lives. Most high schools, or even middle schools, require a student to take a science class to graduate. The FDA knows this and used it to their advantage when trying to build relatability. The FDA also built relatability to “Science Class” by stirring up familiar emotions.
By stirring familiar emotions, such as boredom, annoyance, and fear, the typical United States teenager is able to relate to this advertisement easily. Sitting in class for eight hours a day can cause anyone to be blasé or annoyed with the teacher who speaks in monotone. Once again, the FDA knows this, and uses it to their advantage by having the “teacher” lecture the class. The students are sitting at their desks clearly uninterested, until the “monster” begins to move. The movement of the “monster” is what creates fear in the students. Growing up, monsters are deemed scary. They were created to frighten kids into staying in their beds or shutting their closet doors. Then as the kids grow into teens, monsters become more realistic, but are still prevalent in movies or television shows that teenagers watch. Although the “monster” is obviously not real, the feelings of fear monsters stir up are, in fact, real.
In building relatability to this anti-tobacco advertisement, the FDA was able to connect to teenagers of all demographics. This allows the teenager watching to imagine themselves in the danger of the “monster” or cigarette, to feel bored, annoyed, or scared, which is the goal of this advertisement. The FDA wanted to make teenagers realize the dangers cigarettes hold for everyone, not a specific demographic.
Another way in which the FDA effectively conveyed their argument in “Science Class” was through suspenseful lighting.

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

background.
While it may seem as though the lighting is not relevant to the success of the advertisement, “Science Class”, it is. The lighting creates the suspense this advertisement needs from the very beginning. It highlights the “monster”, and plays a role in making sure the danger of the “monster” is scary to the viewers. Without the suspenseful lighting, this advertisement would not be nearly as effective as the FDA hoped it would be.
Like most anti-tobacco advertisements, the FDA also made their argument against cigarette smoking through the cold, hard, and true facts. They did however take an indirect approach in doing so. As previously stated, the “monster” represents cigarettes, so the facts about the “monster” are really about cigarettes. The use of the truth about cigarettes, such as when the teacher says “this actually has over 7000 chemicals”, or when he begins to ramble the damage they can do to one's body, appeals to the logical side of teenagers. U.S. teens know that there is a stigma around a large number of chemicals in any one substance. Advertisements of all types of products argue that their item is “pure” or “chemical free” to appeal to people. This means that teenagers hear the words “7000 chemicals” and the FDA knows cigarettes will likely be associated with something bad. This unfortunate truth, along with the others stated, help support the FDA’s argument.
“Science Class” would not have an argument if the facts about cigarettes were not included. It is from the facts that one can conclude the “monster” represents cigarettes. It is from the facts that a teenager can understand just how dangerous cigarettes are. The FDA utilized research and statistics, or truths, to support, what would have been a meaningless advertisement.
It is the building of relatability, use of suspenseful lighting, and the stating of the unfortunate truths about cigarettes that make this anti-tobacco advertisement effective.

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

that.