“Smoking Kid,” a Thai anti-smoking ad was released last week by the global public relations agency Ogilvy in an attempt to influence some of Thailand’s 13 million smokers to kick the habit. According to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, it has led to a 40 percent increase in traffic on the national “quit smoking” hotline.

In the ad, which went viral receiving more than 750,000 views after it was first posted on Youtube a few days ago features an under aged boy and girl approach multiple smokers on the street and ask them for a light. Each smoker immediately begins telling the children reasons that they should not smoke, having no idea they are being set up:

“If you smoke, you die faster. Don’t you want to live and play?”

“Cigarettes contain insecticides.”

“When you smoke, you suffer from lung cancer, emphysema and strokes.”

After listening to the adult smokers reasons, the children respond, “So why are you smoking?” They then hand the smoker a brochure that reads, “You worry about me. But why not about yourself?”

The ad claims that almost every adult who received the brochure then threw away their cigarette. No adult, however, threw away their brochure.

I’d like to see copycat versions of this brilliant ad make their way to the UK. Sure, this PSA is receiving a lot of attentions online but imagine if a similar ad found its way on British or American TV?

Website: Thai Health Promotion Foundation

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