Truth About Cigarette Advertising
Two lithe, tanned bodies lazily languish near a limpid river. The heads of the two persons are thrown back in poses of a supremely confident nature. Their facial features, though, are indistinguishable amidst the ephemeral haze which envelops them. Curiosity piqued and intently surveying the scene, one then notices the cigarettes dangling from the fingers of the pair. Advertisements such as this are now ubiquitous to the point of annoyance. These attempts to entice consumers to buy cigarettes are not simply trumped up exaggerations, as is the case with other products. Cigarette companies market their products with blatant lies. No one is shown with yellowed teeth or suffering from a hacking cough. Instead, smokers are always pictured as being in the pink of health. More alarmingly, smokers and smoking are perceived as being desirable. This perception has seemingly permeated every facet of popular culture. The sad truth today is—cigarettes are cool!
More overt instances of cigarette companies attempting to marry their products with images having positive connotations occurred in the first half of the twentieth century. Since then, however, the marketing juggernauts of these organizations have become more adept at promoting their brands in nearly every sphere of public life. In the earlier times though, the principal mode of product placement was via magazines. Here are two such magazine advertisements.
Kool magazine advertisement circa 1940
Camels magazine advertisement – circa 1950
In the first picture, which was put out during the Second World War, cigarettes are linked with the badges of the United States Armed Forces. Here, Kool attempts to ride the wave of support for Americ...
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...g—turning all of us into potential cigarette addicts. I am of the firm opinion that legislature should be passed which prevents these companies from advertising in certain fields, particularly those pertaining to healthy pursuits such as sports. But, then again, these laws would have to be passed by many people who sit on the boards of, or had election campaigns funded by, cigarette companies. Those changes don’t seem too likely, do they?
Works Cited
“Cigarettes” Wikipedia Foundation Inc.1 Sep. 2006.
Crary, David. “Tobacco giants wage fight against state anti-smoking measures.”
Associated Press 13 Oct. 2006
Haralambos, Michael. Sociology: Themes and Perspectives. 3rd ed. London:
HarperCollins, 1991.
Nocera, Joe. “If It's Good for Philip Morris, Can It Also Be Good for Public Health?”
New York Times 18 June. 2006: B46.
positive and healthful image. This is where beautiful men and women would be seen socializing
Tobacco companies have relied on the media to lure children. They quickly realized that ‘the company that dominates is that which most effectively targets young”(Imperial Tobacco document.) To counteract the idea of disease and other negative aspects of tobacco, the industry used imagery in the media such as natural settings and healthy actors doing active things. This helps them to insinuate that smoking leads to success, romance, sophistication and other advancements in their lifestyle, which was easily imprinted in the minds of children. A document found among Imperial tobacco files described their priority: “…having our imagery reach those non-reading young people who frequent malls should be our chief goal.”(1.170) Unaware of how important the under 18 market was to the industry, the government could only attempt to lengthen the distance between schools and billboards because they’re ineffective attempts were ignored by the large corporations. With many billboards concentrated in small areas it put the idea in children’s minds that smoking was socially acceptable and that t...
Sloan Wilson did not publish The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, a classic on 1950's middle-class conformity, until 1955. But, by July 1953, PALL MALL cigarette advertisers appear aware that "society seemed to reward those who lacked rough edges and eschewed eccentricity" (Blum 794). This conclusion seems justified by a TIME magazine advertisement. Here, these promoters apply this conformity principle and other advertising techniques to a specific socioeconomic group. They seek to lure the expanding male, middle-class audience by presenting indecorous fun, an enticing social situation, and smooth smoking delight all stemming from their product.
Smoking Kills. This is no longer a myth, it’s a fact. According to the British Medical Journal, every time a person smoke a cigarette, he or she will lose about eleven minutes of life here on earth and subject yourself to cancer. In the advertisement below, you can easily tell from just looking at the picture that this ad is against smoking. The ad portrays the message that smoking is deadly, and is able to be comprehended by people of all ages in the hopes that the viewers do not get into a fatal habit such as abusing cigarettes. Essentially, smoking cigarettes is a long term form of suicide. A man is holding a lit cigarette in his hand with his middle and pointer finger, and his thumb held up. As shown in the
Laird, Pamela, “Consuming Smoke: Cigarettes in American Culture.” University of Colorado at Denver. Author of Advertising Progress: American Business and the Rise of Consumer Marketing. 1998
Cigarettes to non smokers are commonly thought of, as rubbish. They give off an offensive smell, they stain teeth, fingers, smoke lingers in clothes, hair, cars and homes. Unless a person is already hooked to nicotine, there is almost no reason for them to choose to pick up smoking. The only reason anyone would take up smoking in this millenium, against the constant bombardment of anti-smoking advertisements, is a false sense of self propulsion to a higher popularity. Anti smoking ads have gotten more and more creative, and grotesque in the past several years. A campaign being lead by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) attempts to show the ugly side of smoking through any means necesarry. be that commercial that feature young adults pulling
Now, cigarette ads include labels with warning signs, disturbing pictures of deceased unborn children, children with smoke formed into bags over their heads, people with amputated limbs, or pictures of gum and tooth decay. “Even if, as some enthusiasts claim, e-cigarettes can help a smoker quit, could it also entice young people to start?” (Are e-Cigarettes Safe?). Figure 3 contains an ad of a man smoking on a blu e-cig with the phrase ,“Why Quit? Switch To Blu”. This one ad out of many, surprisingly, contains a now required warning label at the bottom, warning pregnant or potentially pregnant consumers of the chance that their baby or reproductive system may be harmed. What some consumers don 't know, is that the e-cigarette owners are also the owners of the big tobacco cigarette companies. These companies clearly don 't want the smokers to quit smoking, but continue with what is argued as a “healthier”
The tobacco industry consists of many competitors trying to satisfy a specific customer need. Companies such as Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, Brown and Williamson, and Lorillard hold almost the entire market share in the tobacco industry. While each company has different advertising and marketing techniques, they all target the same customer group. Tobacco companies try their best to generate interest in their particular brand or brands. Companies market a number of attributes that usually include, but are not limited to: taste, flavor, strength, size and image in order to distinguish themselves from competitors (Business Week 179, November 29, 1999). However, all tobacco companies are satisfying the same needs. Many long-time smokers are addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes. They smoke because the nicotine is needed to help them feel normal (Focus group). Many addicts go through withdraw without nicotine. All tobacco companies have nicotine in their cigarettes, which fulfills the need of long-time smokers. Other smokers depend on cigarettes in social settings. Many smoke to look sophisticated and mature. Tobacco companies make many kinds of cigarettes that target different groups. Social smokers may perceive certain brands as more sophisticated, and therefore they shy away from other lesser-known brands. For example, a person who smoked generic cigarettes at the bar may be perceived as uncultured. On the other hand, the smoker with the Marlboro Lights may be more socially accepted because they have a brand name product (Focus group). Many types of cigarettes cater to the many markets of smokers who want to portray a certain image in social settings. Tobacco companies do not create the need to smoke, but try to generate interest in their particular brand (Hays, New York Times, November 24, 1999). Overall, the tobacco companies satisfy consumer demand for the millions of adult Americans who choose to use tobacco by providing differentiated products to different target markets of smokers.
The target audience of this advertisement is everyone who smokes. The advertisement aims to explain the health and financial consequences of smoking. There is a wide range of ages of those who smoke and this advertisement aims to deter them from smoking. It also targets those who don’t smoke by making them aware of the effects of smoking as
The evidence, while unsubstantiated, is convincing. Hard data is used to prove the point, and it is stated that cigarette production tripled between 1914 and 1919, rising from 18 billion to 54 billion cigarette. Class is arguably a factor in this apparent spike in cigarette smoking, as soldiers were generally seen to be upstanding members of society. Gender plays a massive role, as even though the war would have required the full effort of every American, it was the men used in advertising. The linking of patriotism, soldiers, and cigarettes is undoubtedly a brilliant marketing manoeuvre. The author falters as he claims cigarettes became tied with the positive values of American masculinity. While the claim is cited, and is conceivable, it is still unproven within the
A child who has lost his mother in a busy airport is a scenario that most audiences pay attention to. It’s thrilling in a way- will the protagonist find his mother? This video commercial is one that leads the way in the anti-smoking campaign. A young boy is walking alongside with his parental and the next minute is alone. Looking around trying to locate her, the effort is unsuccessful. Unaware what to do next, he cries and cries (See Figure 1). A narrator voices, “If this is how your child feels for losing you for a minute, just imagine if they lost you for life. (13QUIT)”
In the advertisement put out by the R.J. Reynolds Company showcasing its Camel cigarettes, the attempt is made to seduce the customers into believing that it is hip and cool to smoke cigarettes. The first thing you notice in this particular advertisement is the large puffy red Afro donned by the man perfectly centered in the ad. He seems to be a throwback to the seventies when there was a collective feeling of freedom and invincibility enjoyed by the youth growing up in that era. It seem this man is living a surreal world full of bliss and happiness. His long smooth sideburns, small golden sunglasses tinted with a fresh color of purple, and attention-grabbing starred blue suede shirt with the leather pul...
One way that the tobacco industry can be more ethical is changing their advertising strategy. I believe that today’s advertising strategy is very misleading about cigarettes. Examples of this unethical advertising is in Argentina, here 20 percent of television advertising is spent on smoking commercials, as well as in countries in and around Africa there are billboards that depict a man in a business suit stepping out of a black Mercedes as a chauffeur holds the door. This displays that cigarettes make people classy and sophisticated, making cigarettes look not only harmless but stylish. Another good example of unethical depiction on cigarettes is in Nigeria; here they promote a cigarette for graduates, with a picture of a university and a student in a cap and gown. As if this wasn’t a misleading visual they add a slogan that says, "A very important cigarette for very important people." These ads and slogan are ...
Should tobacco and alcohol advertising be allowed on television? The ban on advertising tobacco is already in affect, however, alcohol is another harmful substance. Should liquor be allowed to be advertised, if tobacco can not advertise their product? The ban on advertising tobacco products on television and radio, was passed through legislation in 1970 by Richard Nixon. This argument like others out there has two sides, one side in favor these advertisements and the other against these advertisements. Since both of these substances are highly addictive and costly. Would we like to see these advertisements continued? Are these advertisements the hazard they are communicated to be? Through the research of these two important sides, this essay will explore which side has a stronger stance on the topic.
Big brands like Marlboro spend 70% of their profits on advertisements in 3rd world countries to try and get the people who do not know the consequences of smoking.In total tobacco companies spend over ten billion dollars on advertisement world wide. (who.int) The advertisement that is going on is on the covers are are cartoon animals and images that show if you smoke you will be