Some of the most double-take-worthy print ads we've seen over the last couple of decades have come not from brands, but from government departments. It can be hard to send a serious message in a bold way, but when done right, the results can be hugely impressive.
A new campaign by the government of Rio De Janeiro is currently turning heads online, thanks to its grotesque depiction of the harms of vaping. Designed by Brazillian agency Propeg, the ads are a masterclass in making a point in a stark yet striking way.
"Public awareness campaign against smoking, with a focus on electronic cigarettes (“vapes”)," reads the agency's description of the ads. "The goal is to warn the public—especially young people—about the health risks associated with their use, debunking the idea that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes."
The ads depict rotten fruit in the shape of lungs, with pithy taglines including, "Strawberry flavored emphysema", and "Mango-flavored fibrosis".
"Strawberry-flavored emphysema is a hell of a tagline," one Redditor comments, while a LinkedIn user comments, "Really interesting to see how the campaign uses a minimalist approach to subvert the perceived coolness of vaping and highlight the health risks instead."
The poster has echoes of Burger King's 'mouldy Whopper' ad which famously ran in 2020, highlighting the fact that its ingredients are supposedly more natural than those of McDonald's.
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