Do you remember the anti-smoking ads with horrid images depicting the consequences of smoking? Did they make an impression on you?

They certainly got to me. One image in particular, along with the freakish voice, is probably burned into my brain forever. Those ads were undeniably powerful.

But just because they were powerful doesn’t mean they were successful. Whose behavior were they hoping to change?

My guess is those most affected by the ads were a) non-smokers like me predisposed to be horrified cheerleaders for the cause, and b) long term smokers already too close to the fate depicted to reverse course.

If you want to reduce smoking, the obvious place to focus is on young people who have not yet started to smoke. And you won’t get their attention with pictures of old, diseased, suffering people. Kids totally believe they are invincible. You may as well show them pictures of dinosaurs with cigarettes. If you want kids to listen, you have to talk to them about things that matter to them. Like boyfriends and sex appeal and beauty and their complexions and how to be popular and thin.

Luckily, the FDA has figured this out. They are about to unveil a new anti-smoking campaign aimed at kids. We will soon find out if they got it right.

If I were trying to get kids to quit smoking, I would talk to some kids about what annoys them, grosses them out, or makes them wish they had never started smoking. Possible topics of resulting ads might focus on:

• Bad breath
• Stinky hair and clothes
• Less money for other things
• Having to leave the party to get outside for a smoke

And with a little education, you might be able to show other, less obvious effects such as:

• Poor skin tone
• Teeth problems
• Reduced sex drive

Are these the right messages?

I don’t know. I would have to ask them. But I do know one thing for sure. If you want people to hear you, you have to address their immediate self interests. Success requires that connection. Horrific stories may be powerful, but will accomplish nothing if your target audience can’t identify with the people in the picture. Don’t guess. Go talk to your intended audience. Understand their wants, needs, and priorities. And then create ads that connect and succeed.