Look what your very stupid smoking can do

The Foundation for a Smokefree America goes the shock route with spots from The Colony asking people to be considerate and not smoke in public. They show smokers flicking cigarettes into the street and setting pedestrians and cars dramatically on fire. The visuals are unexpected and arresting, but the exaggeration does nothing for the cause, and I doubt the metaphor will communicate anything to young people about the dangers of second-hand smoke. The ads play like outtakes from big-budget Hollywood action movies, casting the smokers as disaffected anti-heroes who cause mayhem and aren't held accountable for their actions.