Shock Advertising

Previously I posted an advertisement that promoted awareness of Drunk Driving. To couple that ad, I wanted to introduce another awareness advertisement that I found very captivating but very abrupt in nature as opposed to the subtle approach that BMW had put forth. Introducing, Shock Advertising which (from a previous course that taught this topic) is a way in which the viewer of the advertisement triggers a very strong response from what they see and makes them think quickly about the subject at hand. The picture below is something I had found that is a perfect example of shock advertising.

The ad you are seeing is from the Cancer Society of India and I believe that it uses very horrific pictures and a great analogy to convey a point. The pictures in this ad reflect people attempting to commit suicide with text in the bottom right box saying, "There is an easier way of committing suicide. Try Smoking."

As a smoker, I definitely have been breached as a target audience and this advertisement has further made me think twice about lighting up another cigarette. I believe it is now common knowledge that smoking cigarettes kills, and in this day and age, it is very frowned upon in our society. What better way to trigger my attention than to use this form of shock advertising.

Smoking Kills.
I just need to keep telling myself that so I can stop