'Truth' Campaign Gets Ridiculous

Normally, we'd never be one to side with a tobacco company on anything, but this new spot from the American Legacy Foundation's Truth campaign is giving us cause. In this second spot in the campaign, a dude walks into a store to buy a mattress and strikes up a conversation with the sales person. He tells the guy that back in 1985, a tobacco company VP wondered if sleep should be banned because the majority of people die in their sleep. So the basis of this spot come from a comment that was likely a joke and is trying to twist it into some sort of "Oh my God, can you believe a cancer stick maker would actually suggest sleep be banned to fend off accusations smoking kills" thing. It's ridiculous.

Anyone who works in marketing has made or has heard a joke about how they'd love it if only all consumers would just bend over so it would be easier to shove products up their asses. Or, wouldn't it be cool if the iPod were banned because it was found to cause ear damage so clock radios would sell better. Out of all the released documents from tobacco companies giving insight into their supposed bad practices, this is the best thing the Truth campaign could come up with?

Oh, by the way, the campaign is launching its seventh annual nationwide tour at the Home Depot Center in LA. The tour puts teens in touch with dudes like the dude in the spot who will tell them really bad things about smoking so they won't start.