'A Rhetorical Analysis Of Smoking Kid'

A child smoking is an uncanny image that begs a lot of questions. There are many ways to go about the situation, but a public service announcement decided to go about it in a very specific way. “Smoking Kid”, an ad from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, used children in an attempt to make adults question their own reason for smoking. Being so unorthodox, it is something that catches the eye. The pathos used is prevalent throughout, along with the minimalistic flow of the ad that manages to dig deep into the mindset of an adult smoker. The emotions used in the entirety of the ad have a slow buildup, which intrigues the audience through images of smokers and white text on a black background. The lack of clutter allows for the pieces of the message fall into place through a show don’t tell method. The words “smoking kid” appear in the first frame; melancholic piano music begins playing in the background. The clips of smokers over the sad music instantly throws them into an empathetic light. From the very beginning, the audience is reminded that the ad is anti-smoking, but in a way that doesn’t create anger, but instead worry. This allows for

Children allow for a very deep emotional connection, whether they know the person or not, and things are quickly flipped on their head when the children do the exact things that an adult would do. A number is given for those who desire help with their smoking habit, and the ad ends with a sign of hope. The imagery shown has smokers themselves being disgusted with their own habit, which allows for a connection to the audience that they too must think about their own choices. Whether they are right or wrong is clearly shown to them, and they themselves must act out a response. The ad manages to cleverly make sure that they are always thinking about a child’s health when thinking about their