New anti-smoking campaign using subliminals

DublinWriter

Has anyone seen the billboard ads for quit.ie?

Is it just me, or has anyone spotted the subliminal imagery?

I would tell you what to look for, but a) I want to see if you can spot it yourself and b) my tinfoil hat just slipped down over my eyes.

al28283

Doubtful, it's never been shown that subliminals in advertising has ever worked

seanybiker

It's on ad for quitting so its hardly a conspiracy.

UglyBolloxFace

I've spotted it (either the initial one you're talking about or a completely new one).

Take a look at this picture:



What shape does the shadow behind the figure '2' take? Yep, it looks like a guy smoking a pipe.

Why would they do that? An image of a guy smoking a pipe is hardly an anti-smoking device.

DublinWriter

UglyBolloxFace wrote: »

Why would they do that? An image of a guy smoking a pipe is hardly an anti-smoking device.

I'm still not seeing that.

I was going more down the line of the choice of actors, facial expressions and background settings.

ArtSmart

DublinWriter wrote: »

I'm still not seeing that.

I was going more down the line of the choice of actors, facial expressions and background settings.

ah yes.

you mean using ugly people?

brilliant.

al28283

UglyBolloxFace wrote: »

I've spotted it (either the initial one you're talking about or a completely new one).

Take a look at this picture:



What shape does the shadow behind the figure '2' take? Yep, it looks like a guy smoking a pipe.

Why would they do that? An image of a guy smoking a pipe is hardly an anti-smoking device.

Haha, are you serious? I think you're all reading too much into this and seeing things that aren't there.
I mean a shadow guy with a sherlock homes type old style pipe? And someone was paid to do this? For what purpose exactly???

:rolleyes:

ArtSmart

al28283 wrote: »

Haha, are you serious? I think you're all reading too much into this and seeing things that aren't there.
I mean a shadow guy with a sherlock homes type old style pipe? And someone was paid to do this? For what purpose exactly???

:rolleyes:

well Duh - to appeal to grumpy old pipe smokin men, obviously

Duh.



(:D)

Monty Burnz

Would the OP like to share the subliminal message that he's spotted, at all at all?

Im Only 71Kg

it's a fair point. the pipe smoking shadow is a positive..yes?

leviathon

Well I'd say yer man looks a bit fecked - Big red sweaty bulb off him,grimacing a bit whereas yer wan is much paler, less stressed looking and smiling.

So I'm guessing yer man is meant to be the smoker

Oh just spotted too (and I say this is stretching it a bit but anyway) as his hand is very close to the flower it almost looks like he's pushing it... as in pushing up the daisys

clintondaly

1 in 2 smokers wear sunglasses ?

Talk E

al28283 wrote: »

Doubtful, it's never been shown that subliminals in advertising has ever worked

Yeah, they just use them for fun of course.

UglyBolloxFace wrote: »

I've spotted it (either the initial one you're talking about or a completely new one).

Take a look at this picture:



What shape does the shadow behind the figure '2' take? Yep, it looks like a guy smoking a pipe.

Why would they do that? An image of a guy smoking a pipe is hardly an anti-smoking device.

The number 1, Looks almost like he's holding it. Tapping it, like a shmoke man

Brown Bomber

Fair ****s to whoever it was that noticed this old geezer with the pipe



First reaction: happy enough couple relaxing in the park lovingly smiling at each other.

what I am seeing when I actually try to think about is the both results of the one in two chance of smoking.

On the left. The dying smoker.
In discomfort, Unkempt, high blood pressure, sun in bloodshot eyes, spotty, thyroid problem. I'm no expert but if you zoom on fried breakfast mans right eye region it looks like they've been messing about with his face. The creases in his eyes and his nose look completely unnatural and it looks like his eyelash comes down all the way to his lower eyelid. I could be way off.

On the right the gloating healthy smoker. Sinisterly smiling right in the face of the dying smoker because she is in the 50% of smokers who won't die of tobacco related causes.

Moral of the story. Smoking - you might get away with it, so smoke.

Of course that probably say more about me than anything else. :pac: Going for a smoke.

studiorat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c

DublinWriter

You can see all the billboard ads on their facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/HSEquit

It was the second billboard ad in the series that caught my eye (the two bald guys).

Although you probably can't see it in the on-line photo, if you see this ad on the big bill boards around town look out for the subtle shade of yellow that the teeth of the guy on the left have been stained.

On the same ad, check out the face-palming woman in the background of the guy on the left. Also the guy on the left is very full-faced while the guy on the left looks like a cancer victim - check out that weird and probably altered jawline on the left side of his face.

The couple ad is also very interesting. The dude looks far from health, blotchy, red skin, very dark areas under eyes and if you put your hand over the right hand side of his face it looks like he is contorted in pain.

There's also the visual metaphor of 'pushing up daisies' (check out what his right hand is doing), I'm glad I wasn't the only one who spotted it.

Advertising agencies don't let copy out without almost checking that everything is pixel perfect, especially with big billboard campaigns such as this.

Such practises wouldn't be tolerated if this was an ad for a soft drink or washing powder.

Smokers are obviously considered fair-game!

DublinWriter

DublinWriter wrote: »

The couple ad is also very interesting. The dude looks far from health, blotchy, red skin, very dark areas under eyes and if you put your hand over the right hand side of his face it looks like he is contorted in pain.

Or it could be that it's a slightly candid photo with a less than healthy guy who has the sun in his eyes.

DublinWriter wrote: »

There's also the visual metaphor of 'pushing up daisies' (check out what his right hand is doing), I'm glad I wasn't the only one who spotted it.

So why would they bother with this "subliminal" metaphor when they say that 1 in 2 smokers will die is plain white text?

It seems like your looking too deep into something.

ed2hands

Monty Burnz wrote: »

Would the OP like to share the subliminal message that he's spotted, at all at all?

:)Yea am curious too.

They say that smokers, when they see gross images of black lungs and stuff, immediately want to "light up" to ease their stress. Kind of ironic.

Those Big Tobacco ads from the old days are mental. Just goes to show how much big business had/has their way without regard to the common good.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2381319551154599703#

tallus

The two girls in the facebook poster second from the left are my sisters. Both smokers unfortunately.

Monty Burnz

DublinWriter wrote: »

You can see all the billboard ads on their facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/HSEquit

It was the second billboard ad in the series that caught my eye (the two bald guys).

Although you probably can't see it in the on-line photo, if you see this ad on the big bill boards around town look out for the subtle shade of yellow that the teeth of the guy on the left have been stained.

On the same ad, check out the face-palming woman in the background of the guy on the left. Also the guy on the left is very full-faced while the guy on the left looks like a cancer victim - check out that weird and probably altered jawline on the left side of his face.

The couple ad is also very interesting. The dude looks far from health, blotchy, red skin, very dark areas under eyes and if you put your hand over the right hand side of his face it looks like he is contorted in pain.

There's also the visual metaphor of 'pushing up daisies' (check out what his right hand is doing), I'm glad I wasn't the only one who spotted it.

Advertising agencies don't let copy out without almost checking that everything is pixel perfect, especially with big billboard campaigns such as this.

Such practises wouldn't be tolerated if this was an ad for a soft drink or washing powder.

Smokers are obviously considered fair-game!

So where is the subliminal stuff???

My name is URL

I can see this whole campaign being super ineffective.. if people haven't copped or accepted by this stage that smoking greatly increases your chances of dying younger then it's safe to say that they never will. An all round waste of money.

I'd love to know how much was spent on these poxy ads.. nevermind the subliminals!

Monty Burnz

My name is URL wrote: »

I can see this whole campaign being super ineffective.. if people haven't copped or accepted by this stage that smoking greatly increases your chances of dying younger then it's safe to say that they never will. An all round waste of money.

I'd love to know how much was spent on these poxy ads.. nevermind the subliminals!

But you can bet if they stopped making them, loads of dying smokers would claim that they were never warned and blame everyone else as they croaked it.

My name is URL

Monty Burnz wrote: »

But you can bet if they stopped making them, loads of dying smokers would claim that they were never warned and blame everyone else as they croaked it.

Ah I dunno about that.. not in this day and age. You'd need to be a fairly ignorant or dumb person to not realise that smoking was bad for you. There's warnings on the packets already, and laws forbidding shops from displaying them. In NI they put graphic images of people with cancer on the packs too.. I'd say that would be more effective than some short-lived ad campaign.

I smoke by the way.. and am under no illusions about the dangers of it.

Really, if they wanted to get people off the smokes they could do a multitude of things which would be more effective than this campaign. Up the price to 10+ euro, or make them available only in off-licences. The revenue stream generated on the back of tobacco products is worth too much to the exchequer for that though.

Talk E

My name is URL wrote: »

Ah I dunno about that.. not in this day and age. You'd need to be a fairly ignorant or dumb person to not realise that smoking was bad for you. There's warnings on the packets already, and laws forbidding shops from displaying them. In NI they put graphic images of people with cancer on the packs too.. I'd say that would be more effective than some short-lived ad campaign.

I smoke by the way.. and am under no illusions about the dangers of it.

Really, if they wanted to get people off the smokes they could do a multitude of things which would be more effective than this campaign. Up the price to 10+ euro, or make them available only in off-licences. The revenue stream generated on the back of tobacco products is worth too much to the exchequer for that though.

Which reaffirms the point I have made on this forum many times.
We are worth more dying/ill than we are healthy.

Monty Burnz

My name is URL wrote: »

The revenue stream generated on the back of tobacco products is worth too much to the exchequer for that though.

I'd say their revenue would go down much further because they'd be increasing the value of smuggling. We'd be looking at a Laffer curve-type effect.

Monty Burnz

Talk E wrote: »

Which reaffirms the point I have made on this forum many times.
We are worth more dying/ill than we are healthy.

If you aren't working, you're an economic drain. The ideal for society would be that everybody would be healthy and able to work.

UglyBolloxFace

Brown Bomber wrote: »

Fair ****s to whoever it was that noticed this old geezer with the pipe

T'was me:cool:

Talk E

Monty Burnz wrote: »

If you aren't working, you're an economic drain. The ideal for society would be that everybody would be healthy and able to work.

It's not economics lol, it's bigger than that, evidently. And keeping people sick is big industry, very big.

DublinWriter

Monty Burnz wrote: »

If you aren't working, you're an economic drain. The ideal for society would be that everybody would be healthy and able to work.

Yes, the concept of socio-economic Darwinism in action, a policy last seen enacted by the German National Socialist party in the 1930's I believe.

Are you seriously advocating euthanasia for the physically and mentally disabled?

Monty Burnz

DublinWriter wrote: »

Yes, the concept of socio-economic Darwinism in action, a policy last seen enacted by the German National Socialist party in the 1930's I believe.

Are you seriously advocating euthanasia for the physically and mentally disabled?

I can honestly say that that was the weirdest leap of the imagination that I've ever had in response to one of my posts. Bravo, sir!

Monty Burnz

Talk E wrote: »

It's not economics lol, it's bigger than that, evidently. And keeping people sick is big industry, very big.

An industry bigger than the whole economy? That's a big one indeed!

My name is URL

Monty Burnz wrote: »

I'd say their revenue would go down much further because they'd be increasing the value of smuggling. We'd be looking at a Laffer curve-type effect.

Personally, I'd say it's already over the curve. I know plenty of people who don't pay any tax on tobacco in Ireland right now.. they either go abroad to buy them in bulk, obtain them from those returning from abroad, drive to the north to buy them, or purchase on the black market. I mainly get them from across the border.. and only save about 10% by doing so.

DublinWriter wrote: »

Are you seriously advocating euthanasia for the physically and mentally disabled?

That's some leap to make!

Talk E

Monty Burnz wrote: »

An industry bigger than the whole economy? That's a big one indeed!

Yup.. It's already been mentioned that countries cant afford to do without revenue earned from the sale of tobacco. I imagine that give the tobacco companies some sort of control over those governments, most governments in the world... big industry benefiting from people slowly but surely dying.

CiaranMT

Monty Burnz wrote: »

I can honestly say that that was the weirdest leap of the imagination that I've ever had in response to one of my posts. Bravo, sir!

Had just searched this picture before I read your response :P

hooradiation

My name is URL wrote: »

I can see this whole campaign being super ineffective.. if people haven't copped or accepted by this stage that smoking greatly increases your chances of dying younger then it's safe to say that they never will. An all round waste of money.

I'd love to know how much was spent on these poxy ads.. nevermind the subliminals!

At this point there's no real need for Coca-Cola to keep advertising their signature drink is there? I mean if you haven't heard of it at this point it's safe to say you never will. An all round waste of money.

see what i did there? Just because something is considered common knowledge now it does not follow that it's job done. And while i accept that adverts telling you to NOT do something don't work as well as ones telling you to do something it's a bit silly to assume that because you've heard it all before it's time for them to stop.

reprazant

DublinWriter wrote: »

Smokers are obviously considered fair-game!

Its an anti-smoking ad.

Of course they are fair game.