In China, a campaign to raise awareness about excessive alcohol consumption is using similar shock tactics, with ice cubes in the shape of bodily organs.

For several years, shock images have been used to encourage smokers to kick the habit, even if some people don’t seem to pay attention to them anymore. In Canada, the authorities have decided to go one step further by printing a warning message directly on individual cigarettes, starting August 1.

But shock images are used to help tackle other major public health issues. In the United Kingdom, for example, this technique has often been used to raise awareness about road safety, with campaigns that left a lasting impression with their hard-hitting scenes.

In China, people will no doubt wince just as much when they discover a new campaign promoting healthy lifestyles.

The campaign features ice cubes in the form of bodily organs sitting in a glass of whiskey.

A liver, a heart or a kidney… there’s no mistaking the message behind this communications coup, orchestrated by the Shanghai Pilot Health Promotion Center and advertising agency BBDO China.

One poster reads: “If your daily alcohol intake exceeds 60 to 100g, you’re significantly more likely to get liver cancer.”

Another recommends “drinking to life, not to death.” While the ads certainly make an impact, note that they are running as a communications campaign.

Indeed, alcohol brands would be unlikely to appreciate being forced to display such images on their bottles.