public advocacy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWQgktBR6-w

The main point of public advocacy is to make the public aware of an issue or your opinion on something, and to try to convince them to be on your side. This video is a perfect example of this. It is not a civic engagement because it is not actively trying to make people stop smoking, but it is trying to make people aware that smoking is bad. They decide to use star wars as a method of delivery because star wars is a very memorable thing that everyone knows about. I actually think this would have a better influence on the public if it were showed today because of the quality of the commercial. Back when it was made it was normal, but today the quality is so poor and the acting is so stupidly funny that people would really remember this commercial.

The rhetoric in this commercial, although not the most convincing in nature, is actually very effective. This is clearly targeted at kids, and they do a good job at making an argument directed towards them, for example they point out that smoking is not something that makes you grown up, eliminating the urge to smoke cigarettes because kids think it makes them look cool and older. Although the tone is not very persuasive, as it is a robot talking, the fact that it is starwars makes every word ten times more effective towards the designated audience.