Small Children Crying
I Don't Advocate Making Little Children Cry, But...
At the bottom of this post is an anti-smoking commercial that has been airing in Australia for a bit of time, but finally made it to the states and caused a major hullabaloo. It is a moving, jarring, and effective piece of advertising, so if small children crying isn't your thing, don't watch it.
I am not someone that thinks small children should be put in situations where they're tricked into crying for the cameras. Look at myriad child stars whose lives have spiraled because of apparently irreparable harm their childhood has done them. And I think that's where genuine concern for the child in this video comes into play. However, most people are outraged without knowing much, and they're bringing a lot of media attention and negative PR to something that, otherwise, has life-saving value.
1. The child on the set was a 4-year-old actor
2. His mother, who was also on the set, but not filmed, is an actor
3. Child protective services were on location to ensure the safety of the child came above any other need
4. Five cameras were set up to ensure that only one take would be needed
5. The kid's mom walked away for a minute, came back, and hugged her child.
Anti-smoking campaigns are meant to shock people into quitting smoking. A provocative ad, where not a single cigarette was even shown, that has drawn up more passion than other attempts (like those "Truth" ads, or the ones with extreme circumstances like being too stoned to notice your younger sister is drowning in a pool, and beyond that, once you see it, you don't do anything).
The director of the commercial was recently interviewed by Matt Lauer, and it was clear that he hadn't done his researching into the filming of the commercial either, because it seems like this kid got treated better than the millions US workers that have been laid off.
From a Public Relations standpoint, the outrage and chatter is only helping to propagate the message of the commercial.
Do I support making small children cry? As I have not found an instance where I would support making small children cry, I'd have to say no. But if a minute of discomfort for this well-protected and loved child could possibly save another child a lifetime without a parent, then I say make him cry twice.
At the bottom of this post is an anti-smoking commercial that has been airing in Australia for a bit of time, but finally made it to the states and caused a major hullabaloo. It is a moving, jarring, and effective piece of advertising, so if small children crying isn't your thing, don't watch it.
I am not someone that thinks small children should be put in situations where they're tricked into crying for the cameras. Look at myriad child stars whose lives have spiraled because of apparently irreparable harm their childhood has done them. And I think that's where genuine concern for the child in this video comes into play. However, most people are outraged without knowing much, and they're bringing a lot of media attention and negative PR to something that, otherwise, has life-saving value.
1. The child on the set was a 4-year-old actor
2. His mother, who was also on the set, but not filmed, is an actor
3. Child protective services were on location to ensure the safety of the child came above any other need
4. Five cameras were set up to ensure that only one take would be needed
5. The kid's mom walked away for a minute, came back, and hugged her child.
Anti-smoking campaigns are meant to shock people into quitting smoking. A provocative ad, where not a single cigarette was even shown, that has drawn up more passion than other attempts (like those "Truth" ads, or the ones with extreme circumstances like being too stoned to notice your younger sister is drowning in a pool, and beyond that, once you see it, you don't do anything).
The director of the commercial was recently interviewed by Matt Lauer, and it was clear that he hadn't done his researching into the filming of the commercial either, because it seems like this kid got treated better than the millions US workers that have been laid off.
From a Public Relations standpoint, the outrage and chatter is only helping to propagate the message of the commercial.
Do I support making small children cry? As I have not found an instance where I would support making small children cry, I'd have to say no. But if a minute of discomfort for this well-protected and loved child could possibly save another child a lifetime without a parent, then I say make him cry twice.
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