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Angelina Ng
Dr. DiSarro
ENG 101-05
26 March 2014
A broken mirror
A message can be shown through many different ways. It can be shown through a
cartoon, a music video, a short video, an advertisement, or a commercial. In the short video by
Ogilvy and Mather Bangkok called the smoking kid, the company uses an unconventional source
to show adults the truth behind smoking. This video was published on June 6, 2013. It was
promoted by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation. Ogilvy and Mather Bangkok is an
organization and agency founded by David Ogilvy in 1948 that aims to make advertisements that
sell and persuade people about the topic or the merchandise (Ogilvy para. 5). In this video, they
advertise the specific message they want to tell the people who watch it. Each specific element of
the video contributes largely to the commercial and the message trying to be portrayed. The
people, colors, and location are all factors that affect the video in some way. Using these factors,
the video is successful in persuading the audience and the smokers. After watching the video,
many people see the need for change. Smoking is a very important and relevant topic to think
about. So many people in this world smoke. Trying to help people stop will not only help the
smokers health but also the health of the people around them and the world. Smoking is the
major cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States
(American cancer society para. 2). Smoking is a major issue in this world that is killing so many
people. A powerful video can be the first domino to fall in helping people quit this horrid habit.
Largely by the use of youth and the innocence of children, Ogilvys anti-smoking advertisement
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encourages people to stop smoking by reminding them how dangerous and unappealing smoking
really is.
According to the Centers for disease control and prevention, in the year 2012 18.1% of
adults in the United States were smokers. Throughout the world, 1.1 billion people smoke. That
means one in every three adults is a smoker. A short video can make a huge difference. In the
video the smoking kid, it shows two young children walking around the walkways of Thailand
asking adults for a light. Every single person they asked had a look of shock on their face. The
kids already had a cigarette in their pocket. The adults that are shown are smoking in normal
smoking places. They are sitting on a bench, outside a door, or standing on the street. Smoking
has become a normal thing for these people. It has become a habit that they cannot stop. As they
go to many different people smoking on the street, each of the smokers tells the kids different
reasons why smoking is harmful to them. What the smokers did not realize was that they were
describing what is also happening to them. The kids ask them why they are smoking if it is so
bad for them. After that, many of the smokers put the cigarette back in their pockets. It was such
a powerful message said with a small amount of words.
In many cases smokers know that smoking is bad for them; however, they continue to do
it anyway. Sometimes just knowing it is bad for them is not enough to get them to stop. The
Ogilvy Thailand anti-smoking ad uses a different method to approach smokers. They used
children. The message was made clear through it. If smoking is so bad for the children, then why
are they smoking? They listed so many reasons why smoking was harmful to their body and life,
but that still did not faze them. The message was that if they were so concerned about the
children smoking, they should also be concerned about themselves. What they said to the
children is what they should be saying to themselves. They need to start caring about their health.
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At the end of the video, the children gave each person a piece of paper that in Thai that read you
worry about me, but why not about yourself? Reminding yourself is the most effective warning
to help you quit. Call 1600 hotline to quit smoking (Ogilvy).
The company uses many different techniques that make their advertisement successful.
The author decided to use children to talk to these people because they thought it would be the
most effective. Children represent innocence and renewal. They have not been corrupted by the
world. The children are symbolizing what the smokers lives can be like if they quit. Their lives
would be renewed. They would feel refreshed. Smoking is a giant burden on peoples shoulders
that is slowly wearing them down. A sense of happiness and joy that children have within them
would be instilled in the smokers. Children are also a source that gives off pure emotion and
feeling. When things happen to them, many people want to help them and care for them. So
when the children asked the smokers for a light, a strong feeling of protection and surprise starts
to build up. Children are the future. They are still growing, learning, maturing and starting to live
their lives. Seeing them want to smoke suddenly triggers a feeling of protection and prevention
from not only the smokers but also from the audience watching the video. When they ask for a
light, every single one of the smokers gave a reason why smoking was bad. One of them said
they drill a hole in your throat for cancer. Arent you afraid of surgery?(Ogilvy). People start
listing things that are bad about smoking such as cigarettes contain poison, people look older
when they smoke and that smoking causes lung cancer and emphysema. Every single case, they
all started off with the question you know that smoking is bad right? (Ogilvy). They all know
that smoking is bad, but they do it anyways. Using the children allowed the message to be told in
a very powerful way.
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Colors give a strong message to the viewer. Each color symbolizes something different.
The video was black and white. There was no bright color. Black symbolizes darkness, death and
fear. The black is representing the life of smokers. Smoking causes death. It slowly kills the
victim. When thinking about the word darkness, gloomy, sadness and smoggy come to mind.
Smoking creates a smoky atmosphere where nothing is known and someone feels trapped. That
is what smoking would feel like. Smokers feel trapped by their addiction. It is holding them back
and pushing them down. The color white symbolizes light, innocence, and freshness. It
symbolizes the life with smoking. A smoke free world would be a brighter life, a life happier
one. The children are representations of the white color. They are the freshness in the smokers
lives, the light at the end of the dark tunnel. Black and white are total opposites of each other. A
person can tell the difference between the two. They are clear cut. It is obvious to see the
darkness of smoking and how bad it is. There is no middle. It is a choice between a bright, fresh
smokeless world and a dark, deadly smoking one.
The author also uses music to portray their message through the video. The slow, serious
and dark music in the background only adds to how serious of a matter smoking is. The tempo of
the music is very slow and simple. The simplicity of the music correlates with what the video is
trying to say. The message is simple and straight forward. Smoking is bad. The key of the music
is also low. Slow moving, low key songs are usually associated with being serious while high
pitched, fast songs are associated with an abundance of energy. Smoking does not give you
energy. It is slowly killing the smoker. The slowness of the video allows the viewer to
concentrate and focus on what is being shown. It does not overpower the picture and adds
emotion and suspense to the video. Music has a way of speaking to people. It allows a message
to be told without using words. Combing music with words only deepens the emotion in the
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video. The music also gives depth to the video. During one scene, the smokers finally realize that
what they told the kids was what they should be telling themselves all along. In this part of the
video, the viewer suddenly hears a loud noise like a boom. Boom, it hit them. Smoking is bad
for the kids and more importantly, bad for them.
Though this video takes place in Thailand, the message is for smokers around the world.
This videos intended audience were people who smoke, have smoked and also those who care
about them. The purpose was to show them the mistake that they were making and the
consequences that followed. It also showed them that they could ask for help. Many people
struggle with asking for help and also with implementing the changes in their lives. Using a well,
established company could make that change more efficient. Ogilvy and Mather Bangkok have
been around for around 60 years. The longevity of this company only makes their credibility
higher. In 2012 the video won the bronze for the Cannes Award. The Cannes Award is for an
international film festival held in Cannes, France. The Cannes Award has great credibility that
lends greater credibility to the commercial. Its mission has remained faithful to its founding
purpose: to draw attention to and raise the profile of films with the aim of contributing towards
the development of cinema, boosting the film industry worldwide and celebrating cinema at an
international level (Festival De Cannes Para. 1). This festival has been around for a number of
years. Having won the award gives this commercial a higher credibility.
In a span of one minute and twenty seconds, the author was able to express their message
in such a prominent and compelling way that had a lasting impact on the people who watched it.
We live in a world full of pressure from peers to fit in. Sometimes people smoke to fit in with
their group of friends. We also live in a world where people do not like to ask others for help. So
many people want to do things on their own or their pride gets in the way. This video shows that
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asking for help may be the best thing to do. It could be a small gesture like the two kids did to
help all those people, a small nudge into the right direction. A small video can have a huge
impact. Like the saying goes, big things come in small packages.






















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Work Cited
Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_YZ_PtMkw0

"Awards 2013 : Competition." Festival De Cannes. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

URL: http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/archives/2013/awardCompetition.html

"Ogilvy & Mather." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

URL: http://www.ogilvy.com/About/Our-History/Ogilvy_Mather.aspx

"Tobacco-related Cancers Fact Sheet." American Cancer Society | Information and
Resources for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Lung, Prostate, Skin. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
URL: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/%20tobaccocancer/tobacco-related-cancer-
fact-sheet