Can someone explain this to me?

What exactly is the purpose of these ads run by "the truth"?

I haven't read anything on their website, but every television ad I see seems to have the same goal: To convince you that tobacco company executives are the most evil people to ever exist on the planet. I can't remember a single ad whose primary message was that smoking was bad for you. Yes, they mention this fact, but only in passing. They spend most of their time reading "internal memos"¹ from the tobacco companies to illustrate all the bad things these companies do.

What are they hoping to accomplish from this? Even if they convinced the entire country that tobacco executives were evil, what would they have gained?

I just don't get it.

¹ How exactly did they get all those memos anyway?

Comments

[Joe Carter]

The "truth" campaign was part of a 1998 settlement between the tobacco companies and the state governments who had sued them. The companies agreed to contribute $300 million a year to the anti-smoking campaign as a way to prevent further litigation. Now that the tobacco companies are losing market share, though, it appears that arrangement may be coming to an end.

[Jeffrey Collins]

I didn't remember that about the funding of the campaign. But my point was really that the ads don't appear to be focused at stopping smoking. Instead, they seemed aimed at making people think tobacco execs are evil people. I just don't see the point of that.

[Joe Carter]

Instead, they seemed aimed at making people think tobacco execs are evil people. I just don't see the point of that.

I think its a variation of the "Parents want you to do X" argument. Since kids won't avoid smoking because its bad for them they've chose the tactic of "Evil tobacco execs want you to smoke." By not smoking it becomes a form of rebellion.

(Not a solid answer, I admit. But that's been the impression I've got from the ads.)

[Jeffrey Collins]

thanks joe. it's a better answer than i have.