This is a transcript of the 1 minute commercial:
How many children are already "tired of" anything to do with smoking? How many have been smokers for 20 years? How many care about not affecting the people around them? How many want to smoke during basketball games or while at bars with their friends? How many feel so downtrodden after years of being persecuted that they can relate to getting their freedom back and rising from the ashes? How many under age 19 even know who that old guy, Stephen Dorff, is in the commercial? He's been smoking for 20 years so he must be ANCIENT and what hit movie has a 15-year-old ever seen him in? So UN-cool, lol!
To suggest that this commercial was designed in any way to appeal to anyone under the age of 30 is ridiculous. The commercial is made to appeal to adult smokers in the only way it possibly can, since blu is legally prohibited from telling the truth that e-cigarettes are a reduced harm alternative. What is appealing about e-cigarettes to current smokers other than the reduced harm? Exactly what Stephen Dorff says in the commercial.
What would people like to see an e-cigarette commercial look like? An actor portrayal of a doctor saying blu e-cigs are a healthier alternative to smoking? Sorry, not only would that not appeal to smokers who DON'T want to quit (but are thinking they probably should) nor to smokers who have tried every other "doctor-recommended" NRT and know how ineffective they are, but the FDA would shut it down in a heartbeat for making unapproved therapeutic claims.
To whom do e-cigarettes appeal the most? Smokers who hate being addicted to nicotine and want to be 100% nicotine-free or to smokers who enjoy smoking but know they should probably quit for their health; or worry about hurting loved ones with SHS; or want to save money; or are sick of smoking bans? As someone already pointed out, new vapers almost always come to this forum looking for something that "looks, feels and tastes" as close to their traditional cigarettes that they smoked. Does that sound like someone who was REALLY ready to quit smoking? Someone who wants yet another "medical treatment?" Someone who wants to be puffing on a silly-looking, fake cigarette?
Lorillard knows smokers and blu knows what new vapers want. They designed the commercial exactly right to appeal to smokers and potential "starter vapers." I'm sure if they could have enlisted an "A-list" celebrity vaper like Leonardo, Johnny or Katherine, they would have much preferred them to Stephen Dorff, but at least he's not as bad as controversial Charlie Sheen or some of those "C-listers" that have been touting e-cigs. Actually, it's probably better that he is NOT known as well by children and more known by adults over 30, who actually remember his early career.
My only "cringe-worthy" moment is that they do call it "smoking," but I understand the necessity. Smokers want to be assured that it looks, feels and tastes "just like smoking" and to call it "vaping" would be a turn-off. It's a matter of weighing the importance of convincing a few non-smokers it's NOT smoking or convincing smokers to make the switch. The commercial may turn off some non-smokers, but if it converts a few million smokers then the more vapers we will have out there SHOWING those non-smokers the huge difference between smoking and vaping.
