Today's Mighty Oak

State of Pennsylvania: Smoking PSA



Radio is a medium I do not typically write about.  It’s not glamorous; a favorite book of mine described it “one of the great mysteries of advertising.”  But its reach is far, and if done correctly, it can have a very large impact.

The State of Pennsylvania is in the midst of running a new campaign from their Department of Health, focusing on the age limit for buying tobacco.  And it keeps getting stuck in my head.

Thankfully, I’m not alone.  The folks over at Jezebel have been discussing it as well.  Like them, I have not been able to find an online version of the ad, but I’m guessing you’ll know it as soon as you read it:

“Let me see your ID please,
keep it with you like your keys,
sorry please don’t cause a scene,
you know you must be 18″

I’m not the primary audience, which made me wonder if the station I hear it on (Star) would have the most reach to their audience.  I don’t smoke, even though most of my friends do, and I’ve always listened to 80′s music, even in high school.  Anecdotal evidence, yes.  But maybe it is in fact a good way to reach the kind of goofy kids that might be susceptible to peer pressure.

All in all, a decent ad.  I can’t say I don’t cringe a little bit when I hear it come on, but I’m always singing along by the end, if only in my head.

Filed under: Radio

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Social Links

Archives

How I’m Resisting

What I’m fighting for

What I’m running from

What I’m reading

What I’m drinking

What we’re writing

What I’m running