New campaign now on air

David H Lewis said...
This is just cheap emotional blackmail! You are in the privileged position of being able to claim anything you like by whatever dubious tactics with the luxury of unlimited funding and worst of all, no-one is allowed to challenge you. Well, I will 'cos I've had enough of all this anti smoking humbug so be prepared to defend your claims!
April 18, 2011 11:46 PM

Susan said...
The child used in this ad seems too young to be acting and appears to be genuinely distressed. Concern for this child actor's wellbeing and mental state totally overrides the message this ad is trying to send. Instead, all I get from this ad is that a very young child has been deliberately distressed and then filmed in that state. I can't bear to watch it and cannot understand how it is allowed to continue.
April 20, 2011 6:10 AM

Quit Victoria said...

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the new TV campaign.

Firstly please accept our apologies for any distress caused by this advertisement. Although this campaign may be upsetting, it is Quit's responsibility to give smokers the best reasons possible to quit smoking and support them to do so.

In Victoria, one in three smokers (around 211,000 people) have children under the age of 12, and every week 4 Victorians lose a parent under the age of 50 to smoking. Smoking is still the number one cause of preventable death and kills 4,000 Victorians a year. Quit is showing this advertisement because smokers with children told us that this advertisement would help them quit.

The advertisement features a real-life mother and son acting team - Annette and Alexander, and was shot in one take using 5 cameras placed in different angles to obtain the footage needed. The real emotion Alexander shows occurred when his mother moved out of sight briefly. While it looks like Alexander was upset for some time, it was really only a matter of seconds.

The advertisement has received a PG rating and can only be aired during:

- Weekdays 8.30am-4.00pm and 7.00 pm-6.00am;

- Weekends 10.00am-6.00am.

The advertisement will not be shown during any children's programmes.

Quit's main message is that deaths caused by smoking do happen to younger parents and in reality many Victorian children are going through the experience acted in our advertisement. Quit's aim is to send a warning to smoking parents in an effort to avoid future suffering. 

Kind Regards,

QUIT VICTORIA