Anti-Smoking Ads Target Young Women By Robin Meyerowit

LOS ANGELES - After a series of fits and starts and a fight to reclaim its ad budget, the California Department of Health Services unveiled its new anti-smoki

Two of the more than 15 spots developed by Livingston + Keye, the Venice, Calif. agency of record on the account, highlight the negative effects smoking has on a young woman’s appearance.
‘Smoker’s Beauty Kit’ is a spot which has a fast-talking salesman trying to sell products like a ‘pine-scented hairspray freshener’ and a ‘mouth deodorizer’ as well as smoker’s soap, which ‘dissolves the top nine layers of skin where smoke loves to hide.’ The salesman’s sarcastic comment at the beginning – ‘Smoking is a disgusting habit. But who needs to know?’ – sets the tone for the ads.
Roger Livingston, president of L + K, said the latest round of ads is ‘a logical extension with some interesting embellishments’ from the previous campaign. ‘We were hard hitting before and we want to stay that way. It’s an angry campaign.’
The ads targeted at young people contain the message that you don’t have to smoke to be cool. ‘They don’t say smoking is not cool,’ said Livingston, ‘because they know smoking IS cool.’ These will run on MTV and other channels.
The campaign includes ethnic ads – both print and broadcast – created by Carol H. Williams & Partners/Oakland, Calif., for the African American community; Anita Santiago/Venice, Calif., for Hispanics and Time Advertising/S.F., for Asians.
The $16-million campaign, paid for by a tax raised on cigarette sales, will run through the end of the year.
Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)