Tobaccos Big Turn (Ad analysis Final)

Micah Nelson

English 101-5:30

Dr. Sonia Begert

10 November 2015

Tobaccos Big Turn

Over the years tobacco use has become a part of American culture. Starting off in 1612 as settlers first cash crop, tobacco became a billion dollar industry used by many. However in the last few decades we have seen a dramatic shift in tobacco based ads, and people's attitudes towards tobacco use. In ads used in the 1940s, 80s and the early 2000s we can clearly see this this change through textual, visual, and clever emotional appeals.

For example, a 1946 ad for Camel cigarettes tells people to “try Camels now” because people who already smoke Camel’s know about the magnificent blend of  “rich, full flavor and cool mildness” that Camel Cigarettes has to offer (paragraph 2). The ad then goes to appeal to people's logical side when it goes on to explain how “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette”(see under image 1). The ad then backs up this bold claim by explaining how 113,597 doctors were asked what cigarette they smoke. This alone goes to show how socially acceptable smoking was at the time. Nowadays if a doctor were to be a verified smoker a number of people would most likely doubt their works, and transfer to a doctor who not only cares about a random patient's health, but also their own. After being asked what cigarette they smoke the ad goes to tell how the brand most named was Camel(paragraph 1 fig. 1).

In this particular ad the two visuals also played as key aspects of persuasion. We see a man who looks to be in his 50s, healthy, happy, and is assumed to be a doctor smoking a Camel cigarette. They use this image to show people that you can be as successful as someone like doctor and still smoke, and be productive. This image also shows that a man at his age can still look, and feel likes his best despite the fact that he's putting harsh chemicals into his body. The next image in the ad shows a young woman who also looks to be happy and healthy. This woman is smoking a Camel cigarette and seems to be extremely satisfied. Clearly you can see how this ad was a direct representation of history at the time, and tobacco use was an entrenched part of American culture and our social norms.

By the 1960s’s “Major health organizations join forces to bring attention to the mounting evidence of the harms of smoking. Cigarette consumption reaches its peak before the landmark Surgeon General's report in 1964 definitively links smoking and lung cancer.” This was a game changer because before then people really didn't understand the risks of smoking tobacco, and the life threatening diseases and ailments it can cause. Just two decades later in 1980 “Tobacco control advocacy picks up momentum, and popular culture begins to acknowledge the dangers of smoking” (50 years of tobacco). In 1984 lung cancer surpassed breast cancer becoming the leading cause of death for women. At this time major tobacco companies needed to find ways to appeal to the public who was opening their eyes to the dangers of smoking.

This is a1980s Camel ad, advertising filtered cigarettes. Tobacco companies introduced filtered cigarettes to give people an alternative to breathing in 100 percent of the harsh chemicals that people now were becoming aware of. In this particular ad they tell people they can be satisfied(and still healthy) while smoking filtered cigarettes(see fig. 2). At this time tobacco companies were also aware that people knew about the harmful effects of their products. In the bottom left corner of this ad you can see in very small print a warning label addressing the many problems that were now proven to be linked to tobacco products. The warning was used to say “hey we told you so” avoiding any lawsuits when a tobacco user gets lung cancer or emphysema. But then at the same time using the miniscule print to not take away from the main point of the ad, and that is, to buy Camel cigarettes.

The visual in this ad also made it ever so appealing to people, especially men at the time. We see a man who seems to be the main focus of the ad. He looks to be out and about taking two lady friends on some sort of wilderness adventure. This ad shows that an outdoorsy, active, leader can also be a smoker, and ever so healthy when he smokes his filtered cigarettes. Another main focus of this ad is the box of filtered Camel Cigarettes. The box of cigarettes is in the very front of the ad and stands out through its brightly colored box that contrast with the dull brown of the log they sit on. In all, the 1980s major tobacco companies, such as Camel needed to come up with healthier ways to smoke while still appealing to people of the time due to an ever growing knowledge on the danger of tobacco use.

Twenty years passes and tobacco companies are still hauling in large amounts of income, but the reduction in amount of smokers in the U.S. has saved millions of lives. At this time tobacco use still remains the number one most preventable cause of death. The media, and many other health organizations continue to make ads explaining the risk of smoking and even scaring people by showing the  effects of some smoking caused issues, and the number of pro smoking ads on television had decreased substantially.

Here is an ad from the 2000s showing the gruesome but true reality of what smoking can cause. In this case throat cancer. This ad uses the scare tactic through powerful imagery, and by verbally addressing complications that can come with tobacco use.

In this ad the imagery really opens our eyes to a harsh reality. We see a man shaving his face like any other man does, but what really strikes the viewer of this ad isn't how clean his shave is, or the brand of razor that he is using, its the hole in his throat. When you see this image you instantly cringe, but then wonder just how this man was left with such an abhorrent mutilation to his neck.

The ad then goes on to explain just how and why he has this discomfiture. The ad tell us that his ailment is called a stoma. Then goes on to explain how smoking can do irreversible damage to your body, and for some like Shaughn leave you with  a life long stoma caused by throat cancer (bottom of fig. 3). The ad then gives hopes to a now hopefully open minded smoker by giving them the option to quit smoking, by providing them with the proper insight and connecting them to 1-800-QUIT-NOW(bottom fig. 3).

Its obvious that over the years smoking has become a big part of American culture, and through clever ads big tobacco companies hope to expand their wealth. This is clearly expressed through the three ads. The ads show us how in just 60 a dramatic shift in our attitude towards smoking has changed.  And as we move farther and farther into the future our attempts to eradicate smoking have grown immensely.

Works Cited:

• "Gov't to Launch New $54 Million Graphic Anti-Smoking Campaign."Medical Daily. N.p., 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2015

• "Robert Wood Johnson Foundation." 50 Years of Tobacco Control. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.

• "Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising." Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.

• "Vintage Tobacco/ Cigarette Ads of the 1980s (Page 2)." Vintage Tobacco/ Cigarette Ads of the 1980s (Page 2). N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.