A gripping anti-smoking ad from Thailand showing two kids smoking is a reminder to local marketers about the power of strong insights, reckons Clemenger BBDO Sydney ECD Paul Nagy.
The ad, created by Ogilvy Thailand, is a confronting push, which Nagy thinks could teach the local indstry a thing or two about emotive marketing.
Nagy told AdNews: “The world is so over-scrutinised these days you could be forgiven for thinking there aren’t any big, emotional insights left. You might think the modern era is only about subtle data insights, or channel connections, or about landing emotional impact through product design or technology.
“But you’d be wrong about that, and Ogilvy Thailand proves it.
“The foundational insight supporting ‘Smoking Kid’ is so big and simple that it almost took my breath away. It’s old school, but in a good way – in a roll up your sleeves, spit on your calloused hands and let’s get to work, kinda way.
“Smoking adults are habitual. They have forgotten to remind themselves how bad smoking is for them. The messages about the dangers of smoking are as transparent to them as the smoke itself.
“But what happens when confronted with a child who wants a light? A tightly locked door inside their mind opens up and the evils of smoking pour forth from their very own mouths. A sudden, heart-felt reminder from the one person on earth almost impossible to ignore: themselves.
“It works so powerfully on those in the video (their faces on reading the note are priceless, and that plea: ‘Don’t you want to live and play?’ could not be more poignant), but it also leaves anyone watching similarly affected. I have shown some smokers and the silence is deafening.
“I don’t know if this was an insight that went searching for a client, and frankly, I don’t care. I loved watching this. I like being reminded that big insights are still one of the most powerful ways to connect with people and that they are well and truly still out there for those with the talent to find them.”
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