It’s almost two years since you posted your comments and it’s obviously longer since I checked out this post. It would take another coincidence for you to see my response like the one that got me to see your posts this late.

Other than an ad by DDB New Zealand that followed 5 months after my ad was released, I am not aware of any similar thoughts or executions of my 9/11 ad.

Nevertheless, I acknowledge the possibility of a creative thinker stumbling upon it much before I did. How many times do we come across a web domain that we deem as brilliant and unique yet cannot be registered in our own names, just because apparently someone thought about it earlier and thus got it registed already?

The same holds true with ad ideas as well.

Even though many times, an uncanny resemblance points to nothing but deliberate plagiarisation, I ask of you to grant the possibility of a coincidence that other minds are also capable of thinking up stuff.

This ad was created by an advertising mind that has evaluated communication effectiveness, for more than 15 years, in terms of receiver conversion and not in the form of award sculptures in the showcase. Hence you may rest assured that it is not a case of a rip-off, absolutely.

One thing that should make us all happy is that we are all working towards the same cause (eradication of smoking ill-effects in this case). Just in case any of you did it only for the sake of recognition, shame on YOU.

For one, I believe, if a writer deserves an award, he better write, not advertise.

Cheers,

SJK (Ideator of the 2007 anti-smoking ad)