The ads produced originally by Quit Victoria show an actual operation on a woman's neck to remove a blood clot in the main artery to the brain (2007) and a gangrenous foot about to be amputated (2006).
They are aired during sport shows.
Source: New York Post Watch 1 Watch 2
BUTT UGLY - CITY'S BEHIND THOSE HARSH SMOKING ADS
New York Post ,August 31, 2007 -- THE most graphic scenes on TV these days are not about sex - they're a new set of anti-smoking ads that have begun to air recently during sporting events.
One ad shows an actual operation on a woman's neck to remove a blood clot in the main artery to the brain.
Another is explicit footage of a gangrenous foot about to be amputated.
The ads may be among the most shocking things ever seen on American TV.
In Australia, where the ads were made, they are not even allowed to be shown until after children have gone to bed.
The ads are the work of the city government - which is buying TV time specifically during sports shows because, officials say, that is where the smokers are.
"Simply put, these ads work," says Sarah Perl, the assistant commissioner of the city's Bureau of Tobacco Control, part of the city's Department of Health.
The agency has been buying time for the ads during Yankee and Met games to target male smokers, she says.
"We know more men smoke," she added.
Perl says that the city bought rights to use the ads as part of a program between the city's Dept. of Health and Australian authorities.
The spokesperson could not say immediately how much the city is spending on the anti-smoking program. Apparently, some of the money is coming from tobacco companies themselves, who have agreed to fund anti-smoking ads as part of a settlement of class-action lawsuits.
The ads are of actual operations. While there is not a lot of gore, they are strong enough to make most viewers wince.
Comments