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SALT LAKE CITY -- An anti-smoking campaign in Utah has a few parents wondering if health officials are sending out the wrong message, or at the very least, are making an icon out of a non-hero.
The "Smokerman" campaign features a less than impressive dingily dressed super-hero who can't sustain flight or keep up with the others as he tries to fight crime. The TV ads have aired around some children's programming.
But some parents say they've had problems with their younger children, who don't necessarily understand the sarcasm behind the ads. "I can see that," says Heather Borski, Director of Health Promotions for the Utah Department of Health, "But again it's an opportunity for parents to step in and talk about the effects of smoking with their children."
Borski says they have had some complaints, but they've also had positive responses. "From our preliminary research that we've done with school children, kids clearly understand that the ads convey that smoking isn't healthy and that it makes you weak."
The ads are part of the state's "The Truth" campaign, funded by Utah's share of a settlement with big tobacco.
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
