CDC parody - It’s gay to smoke (2009)

This was not a genuine public service announcement (PSA) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but it was a satirical publication from The Onion. This video from 2009 warns against the dangers of smoking: but not so much the health issue, but more the risk of being seen as gay. In 2021 the video made a reappearance on TikTok after someone said “Show me an advertisement that wouldn’t be acceptable today“. The Onion’s video was viewed nearly 2.9 million times in 12 years time. Meanwhile, in less than a week, the TikTok video was viewed more than 3.4 million times. Read my article about Big Tobacco and Marketing the Rainbow: studies/cs-fmcg/tobacco