You’ve seen or heard the spots: Philip Morris contributing to food banks in order to help impoverished families. Philip Morris backing a program to make sure that minors cannot buy cigarettes at convenience stores. Philip Morris funding technical training so that a woman can make a career for herself.
The tobacco conglomerates are not the enemy; they’re our friends. They do a lot of good in the community. All of that tobacco-causes-death stuff is irrelevant. We should dismiss Big Tobacco’s relentless efforts to market cigarettes to youngsters. As for denying all these years that nicotine is addictive—so what? The strategy is simple for the tobacco industry: Accentuate the positive and forget about the negative.
To cut through the smokescreen, Miami agency Crispin Porter+Bogusky (CP+B) decided to modify its much-lauded "Truth" campaign for the Florida Department of Health. The goal remains the same: the truth. The means toward that end, though, differs dramatically from that used in past installments of the campaign.
At first, it seems this latest "Truth" spot will unfold like its predecessors: with guerilla-style filmmaking shot in black-and-white via a small, hidden video camera. We’re in a large corporate lobby, which a superscript informs us is "inside a major tobacco company." A band of teenagers is confronting a company executive: "We’re just wondering—why don’t you tell people there’s arsenic in cigarette smoke?" asks one youth.
The tobacco executive sneeringly begins, "And why don’t you … " But mid-sentence the commercial suddenly changes, shifting from black-and-white to full color. Suddenly this confrontational scene becomes an MGM-toned musical, complete with orchestral accompaniment.
The tobacco executive segues into song, imploring the kids to, "all just focus on the positive—’cause positive’s the way ya oughta to be." The teens and corporate staffers all smoothly move into a spunky choreographed sequence that would make Susan Stroman proud.
Everyone sings, "Why don’t we all stop being so derogative, to the big tobacco companies?"
The scene shifts from the corporation’s lobby to a workspace office pool area. Standing on a moving dolly, our questioning teenager and the tobacco exec are now musical partners in dance and song. "We ask, ‘Is nicotine addictive?’ " talk-sings the teen.
"We told you that it’s not," counters the man.
"Okay, then maybe everyone just likes it a whole lot," the kid vocalizes, as they jauntily march forward towards the camera and a paper-shredding fest. "So why destroy the research? Do you think that they’re afraid?" sings the teenager.
"No!" the exec and company workers chorus with glee: "We’re just getting ready for a tickertape parade!"
Cut to a hospital operating room, where a patient is laid out on a table. A group of bystanders, including the teen and the exec, sing, "His tumor was malignant."
Then a cheerful female medical worker warbles, "But look, he’s not indignant! He knows … "
Her sentence is completed by several teens, sequentially popping up from under the covers of separate gurneys: "… you’ve gottaaaaa just stay focused on the positive."
"They’re not marketing to teens …" declares the kid who first spoke out, as the action switches back to the tobacco company’s lobby. "… they’re reaching out to youth!"
Then everyone—teenagers and tobacco employees—dances into the finale: "We’re positive—that’s the truth!" Instead of "The End" as in a movie musical, this piece of bizarre entertainment concludes with a super reading "The Truth."
Suddenly the spot reverts to black-and-white digital video, and the final vibrant tableau dissolves into mundane movement as the tobacco exec belligerently calls for "Security" to throw out the teens.
Fight The Power
Titled "Focus on the Positive," this :60 was designed to help combat the corporate sugar-coating with which Big Tobacco has covered issues in order to dodge them, explained CP+B producer David Rolfe. "It’s our way to fight their positive corporate spin."
"We’re still telling ‘the Truth,’ " observed CP+B copywriter Bob Cianfrone. "We’re just using a different vehicle, a little tongue-in-cheek humor."
The agency chose director Pedro Romhanyi of Oil Factory, Hollywood, for the job. Rolfe cited Romhanyi’s music video work (e.g.-Pet Shop Boys, The Sugarcubes): "Pedro handles the musical genre very well," assessed Rolfe. "He brings style to the screen without overshadowing the performers. He lets talent perform and breathe on screen. He lets the idea shine through. Couple that with the fact that we trust [Oil Factory executive producer] Billy Poveda very much and we felt very confident with Pedro as the director."
The CP+B team consisted of creative director Alex Bogusky, art director Paul Keister, writer Cianfrone and producer Rolfe.
Romhanyi’s support team included executive producer Poveda and producer Gareth Francis. The choreographer was Michael Rooney. The spot was shot on location in Orlando, Fla., by DP Jeff Cutler.
Editor was Tony Kearns of Manhattan Transfer-Miami. Vicki North and Bob Festa of R!OT Santa Monica were Henry online editor and colorist, respectively. North also served as visual effects artist.
Music was composed by independent artist David Yazbek. The arranger was Peter Lurye of Peter Lurye Music, New York.
Sound designer Matthew Schoenfeld, creative director Brian Banks and producer Amy Lyngos of Ear To Ear, Santa Monica, comprised the sound design team. Audio mixer was Chris Winston of AudioBanks, Santa Monica.
"Focus on the Positive" is slated to debut on Florida television in September. There’s also the possibility that the spot could end up running in other states.
