Argumentation & the Public Sphere

Everyday we are bombarded with thousands of images and arguments urging us to do something, buy a certain product, support a cause or belief. Almost everything that we see or hear throughout our days is an argument, supporting a certain idea. One of the most obvious forms of argumentation that is everywhere we look is advertisement. Some ads that are particularly striking are anti-smoking television ads and billboards. These advertising campaigns use strategies and rhetoric to influence their audience.
The majority of people know that smoking is detrimental to their health, but still people continue to smoke, over 45 million people in the United States alone are smokers. Smoking tobacco contributes to a higher risk of cancer, including lung, throat and mouth cancer. It also increases risks of heart disease and stroke (1). Not only are these 45 million Americans suffering from cigarette smoke, but second-hand smoke is just as deadly. Second-hand smoke can also cause heart disease, stroke, cancer and sudden infant death syndrome. Between 1997 and 2001, nearly half a million people died annually from smoking related diseases in the United States, making cigarette smoking the largest preventable cause of illness and premature death in the United States (2). Despite all of these statistics and information, millions of Americans smoke, despite the risks. Because of this there has been an increase in advertisements aiming to counter these unnecessary deaths.
One of the most well known advertising campaign is Truth run by American Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on preventing teen smoking and encouraging smokers to quit. Along with billboards and television advertisements, Truth also runs a website that contains facts and statistics about the affects of smoking on both smokers and nonsmokers. This website is the next logical step after using billboards and television advertisement to combat teenage smoking. The main page of the website offers the viewer the option of looking at facts, or watching television ads. You can even download wallpapers or play antismoking games.
The website is an effective advertising tool because it offers dozens of facts about cigarettes and cigarettes smoking. These facts are presented in a very interesting way, comparing the contents of cigarettes to hazardous chemicals and common items that website users will recognize. By making the effects of cigarettes and the contents of cigarettes more familiar to the website users, this ad campaign makes it easy for people to see the effects cigarettes and smoking can have on their lives and the lives of those close to them.
This website uses several methods of argumentation in an attempt to sway the website users. The most obvious method is cause and effect. The aim of the website is to prevent people from smoking and to encourage current smokers to quit. This is done by showing what effects smoking and tobacco use can have on your life or on the lives of your friends and family. This strong message may seem obvious to most, but by using creative and engaging ways to present the facts, it can be effective. The website also appeals to logos. This approach tries to engage the logic of those who see the website. The logic is something that most people will have of knowledge of in this case, which is that smoking can cause disease and for some tobacco users, may cause death. This appeals to the most basic instinct of humans, self-preservation and staying alive.
One of the videos that can be found on the website is one that has also aired on television. This video features two cowboys singing in the middle of New York. Two cowboys in New York instantly grab the attention of the many people walking through the streets. One of the cowboys pulls off his scarf to reveal a large hole in his neck, then he begins to sing with the aid of a machine. He songs send a message about regretting smoking and that smoking does not always kill, it leaves many disfigured or disabled for the rest of their lives. This video uses several technique to send their message to the audience.
The entire argument is an example or illustration that tells the story of one man and how his life was affected by tobacco use. Cause and effect is also used as the audience sees that the man was disfigured because of cigarette smoking. The ad appeals to the logical side of the viewers because those who see this ad will want to avoid suffering the same fate as the cowboy. This ad featuring a man who is very affected by cigarette smoking is just one of the television ads that is sponsored by this campaign. This campaign also utilizes a website that contains much more information than a TV ad or billboard could provide. This website contains facts, statistics and testimonials about all of the damaging affects of smoking and using tobacco.
These advertising campaign sponsored by American Legacy Foundation uses hard-hitting and shocking methods to catch the attention of viewers and to make it easier to understand the facts that are being presented. Many of the videos use hundreds of people to illustrate statistics, such as having hundreds of people drop to the ground on the streets to represent the number of people killed by tobacco or piling body bags outside tobacco companies to show those killed by tobacco. By presenting a visual representation of facts and statistics, this appeals to ethos. Most people are affected by seeing such strong visuals that represent the damages that smoking can cause. The website also uses a parody of pathos to reach out to the viewers. The video of the two cowboys is the most obvious use of this. Original cigarette advertising featured cowboys and by featuring cowboys in antismoking ads, they are making a parody of tobacco companies. Such strong and hard-hitting advertisement has created some controversy.
Many have made arguments both for and against such aggressive advertising against smoking. Some feel that such television advertisements and billboards are aimed at children and may inadvertently encourage children to experiment with smoking. This argument creates a problem because these advertisements may not be aimed at children, but that does not prevent kids from seeing the ads and perhaps even being negatively influenced by the message the ads are sending.
Together, the use of billboards, television ads and a website can reach a very large audience. This campaign uses shock value to get viewers interested and they also provide accurate statistics and facts about the affects of cigarette smoking and tobacco use. This argument can become a really affective method of reaching out to smokers and people who are likely to start smoking by informing them of the risks that they face by using tobacco.

Works Cited
(1) "Cigarette Smoking Statistics." Diseases and Condtitions. American Heart Association. 26 Oct. 2007 .

(2) "Health Effects of Smoking and Tobacco." Smoking and Tobacco Use. 28 Feb. 2007. Center for Disease Control. 26 Oct. 2007 .