Had lunch with 24 year old friend Thom today and he shared an interesting insight. Smoking is an important sign of teenage rebellion. As a result, the anti-smoking ads, in particular TRUTH, are actually a tool that will increase teenage smoking. They may be extreme and cutting edge, but they just make the case for smoking as rebellion even better.

“Don’t you know smoking is bad for you?”

“Exactly!”

We also see way more cigarette “commercials” with the anti-smoking campaign, than we did when tobacco companies were limited to their access of many media venues. It will be interesting to see the long-term impact of these anti-smoking ads.