Lately, there’s a lot of content to cover on the bathroom humor beat. Yesterday, we reviewed some poop comedy for the new Clorox campaign. Today, we have a 30-second spot titled “Poop vs. Pee” from Arnold Worldwide and truth, the anti-smoking organization. This ad takes a radical shift in tone from meaningless poop jokes. There may be some uncomfortable chuckling here, but the point is to make the viewer aware of two facts: methane, a chemical in dog poop, can be found in cigarette smoke; urea, a chemical in cat pee, is also used in cigarettes. As you’ll see in the clip, there are some silly sound effects and visual representations to make it obvious that bodily excrement is gross, and in turn, chemicals found in our waste shouldn’t be voluntarily inhaled.
On truth’s website, you can read about their strategy for raising awareness, which is echoed in the commercial. They don’t tell people to stop smoking, because that sort of pitch doesn’t work on little children, let alone addicted smokers. So, to get the point across, they appeal to their target audience with alternative methods, such as disgusting facts. Stripping away moralistic lecturing in favor of poop jokes might just be bizarre enough to catch someone’s attention. Credits after the jump.
Chief Creative Officer: Pete Favat
Creative Director: John Kearse, Meg Siegal
Art Director: James Stone
Copywriter: Brett Reese
Producer: Kevin Shale, Carron Pedonti
Assistant Producer: Tia Demelis, Ben Ouellette
Business Affairs: Maria Rougvie
Planner: Kelleen Peckham
Strategy: Gabrielle Rossetti
Marketing Producers: Paul Nelson, Tia Phillips, Raquel DaSilva
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Henry-Alex Rubin
Editorial Company: Union
Editor: Lawrence Young
Sound Designer: Mike Secher
Music Recording: Artist: Mike Secher
Sound Engineer: Mike Secher
VFX: Brickyard