Over the last year, a set of related billboards have popped up all over Maryland as part of an organized anti-tobacco campaign. These public service announcements feature happy, healthy residents, often children, welcoming visitors to the area while simultaneously issuing the hollow warning that "Smoking Stops HERE." Just outside of Baltimore, a pair of smiling girls who appear to be sisters are superimposed with the message, "Welcome to Baltimore - Smoking Stops HERE." On Route 50, after crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, drivers are treated to the image of a grinning boy clad in a wet suit, saying, "Welcome to the Eastern Shore - Smoking Stops HERE." And so on.

Every time I see one of these billboards, I want to light up out of purely irrational contrariness. This urge is only strengthened by the fact that many of the ads are within spitting distance of a gas station or convenience store that sells cigarettes.

Smoking Stops HERE was announced by Governor Paris Glendening in early 2002. The multi-million dollar campaign is funded with both tobacco settlement money and revenue generated by cigarette taxes (Maryland, which not so long ago counted tobacco as its largest cash crop, now has the 4th highest tobacco excise tax in the US, at approximately $1 per pack of cigarettes). Officially launched in July 2002 and slated to run for 18 months, Smoking Stops HERE consists of the aforementioned billboards along with radio spots and television commercials designed to discourage underage smoking.

The campaign began with the placement of 100 billboards all over the state, emblazoned only with the word "HERE" in stark black lettering. It was a teaser campaign designed to generate public interest before Smoking Stops HERE went into full effect. While the enigmatic message certainly caused motorists to mentally pause for a moment, it didn't create nearly as much talk and curiosity as organizers had hoped. After several weeks of non-commotion, the teaser ads were replaced with the ultimately boring billboards as described above. (In contrast, consider a similar teaser campaign sponsored by Families First in which they erected billboards sporting the word "Virgin" in blood-red, 30 foot tall letters as the kickoff to a pro-abstinence effort. These billboards generated a tremendous amount of curiosity and made it into the news all over the country before being replaced with the final version: "Virgin - Teach your kids that it's not a dirty word.")

Shortly after the billboards went up, the campaign launched an aggressive marketing effort directed at Maryland's youth and the parents of said youth. Over the summer, local radio stations began airing advertisements that explained "how Big Tobacco is messing with you." As examples, the ads used real-life musical events that are sponsored by tobacco companies, such as the Pajama Jammy Jam and Rocktoberfest. The radio spots are intended to sound like they're voiced by an anonymous representative of the tobacco companies, who admits that at such events, "We put our logo everywhere. We hire hot women to give away our cigarettes." The voice of a young girl then encourages listeners to visit the Smoking Stops HERE website (www.smokingstopshere.com).

This fall, television advertisements, the third stage of the Smoking Stops HERE campaign, went out over the airwaves. There are three televised public service announcements currently in rotation. The first simply shows children all over the state reaffirming the campaign's slogan. The second features a school crossing guard lamenting the fact that she sees many parents smoking cigarettes in their cars while dropping their children off for school. The third, and most controversial, is set at a children's soccer game. In the middle of the game, a parent standing unobtrusively on the sidelines lights a cigarette. In response, the referees blow their whistles, halting the game until the offending smoker is escorted out of the area. Campaign organizers say that this particular commercial "forcefully dramatizes the Maryland-Smoking Stops HERE empowerment philosophy about standing up and saying, 'No! Not in my face and not in front of my kids.'"

The Maryland Smoking Stops HERE campaign is based upon similar campaigns in the states of Florida and California. According to the Smoking Stops HERE website, the campaign is aimed at Maryland residents of all ages and races, both current smokers and non-smokers. Indeed, the website offers a few (mostly common sense) smoking cessation tips for adults. However, according to independent sources, the campaign primarily targets teenagers with the goal of reducing underage smoking in Maryland by 6%. When questioned about Smoking Stops HERE, Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran stated, "No thinking adult starts to smoke. It's the brave 12- to 13- to 14-year-olds who still think it's cool to start to smoke."

Despite the good intentions, the campaign has attracted some criticism. Maryland's state government is currently operating with a $414 million budget deficit, a figure that has grown by 61% in the last six years. Critics argue that the $14 million in state funding for Smoking Stops HERE could be better spent in other areas, such as education. Detractors point out that such anti-tobacco campaigns often have the exact opposite effect of what is intended - inspiring teens to smoke just because they've been advised to stay smoke-free (look at the public backlash against other campaigns, such as The Truth). Finally, a few civil rights activists have taken issue with the fact that many of the Smoking Stops HERE marketing techniques target African American youth, even though independent studies have found that the rate of underage smoking is much higher amongst Caucasian high school students. The Smoking Stops HERE website itself seems to provide preliminary support for this claim. In the transcripts of their radio spots, the website explicitly points out the roles that are supposed to be played by African Americans, while neglecting to describe the race of the other actors (we can only assume that they are supposed to be white).

Sources:
http://www.smokingstopshere.com
http://www.insidebaltimore.com/news/local/antismoking-billboards0712.shtml
http://www.tobacco.org/news/99851/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43861-2002Oct17.html
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/nyts2000.htm