Advertising in MKE: Part One

Every day when I leave my apartment, I walk past the bus stop outside of Straz. For the past few months, this image has adorned the side of the bus shelter: 

It's by no means a pretty advertisement and is instead meant to be shocking. It's a part of the Center for Disease Control's newest "Tips from a Former Smoker" campaign and signs depicting people that have had lungs removed, legs amputated, heart surgery and more smoke-related issues have popped up all around Milwaukee. There are also commercials on television, so it's hard to miss the ads if you're living in the city. 

These advertisements are going for the shock value that they create. Seeing something as graphic as a stoma on your afternoon stroll may make you think twice about picking up a cigarette later and that's exactly what the CDC is aiming to do. 


According to a Washington Post article, the ads came shortly after the FDA mandate for graphic warnings on cigarette packaging was declared unconstitutional and the CDC has spent $54 million on the campaign. 


Ads like this were unheard of in the past, in fact, cigarettes were marketed as sexy due to the lack of knowledge of the health repercussions, but more and more graphic ads are popping up depicting these dangers.   


It's interesting to see a national ad campaign so close to home--literally a block from my apartment--and how they differ from advertisements in the past.