Here’s another video to show on your interactive whiteboard, and just like the dating video from the 1950s, this clip feels pretty dated because of the product it promotes and the spokesmen it uses to promote it. First off, you never see cigarette commercials on TV anymore, not counting those recent anti-smoking campaigns with the singing cartoon characters. But even more amazingly, this interactive whiteboard video shows the Flintstones smoking Winstons like it’s nothing.
If you’re a teacher looking for discussion points, one issue that immediately comes to mind is the influence of cigarette advertising on children. Remember the public outcry over Camel using their sunglass-sporting mascot to allegedly draw in a younger audience? That pales in comparison to a major cigarette company using universally-known characters from a classic cartoon series to sell its products. It also reflects the much more casual attitude of society towards smoking, especially before the government and special interest groups conducted studies revealing the health hazards of tobacco. In any case, this ad provides another interesting, engaging, and even shocking way to show students and colleagues how the world has changed in the last few decades. Show it on an interactive whiteboard and see how your audience reacts.
Posted by Taeho Lim
