The History of Smoking - Ad Analysis Paper Rough Draft

Leah Nieman

English 101 – 5:30 pm – Rough Draft Analysis Paper #1

Sonia Begert

11/2/15

The History of Smoking

           A single advertisement has the ability to persuade and change the mindset of the people that view it. Most advertisements are based on facts, trying to convince the public to buy a company’s product or the opposite, but are these facts always reliable? Should we put our trust into them? In almost all ads, behind the facts are hidden impressions or meanings. In this essay I will be comparing two different smoking ads that are over half a century apart.

The first ad is dated back to 1946 when it was published by the magazine Life, a popular magazine that would be read by millions. The advertisement is split in half, with a picture above, and an article below. The image that is featured above is a man in physicians clothing, posed relaxed and leisurely smoking a Camel cigarette, looking as if he is taking a break in between patients. The man has a kind look, almost grandfatherly, and gives you the impression that the people being treated by this physician are in good hands. The background is red, and there is a contrasting yellow text box next to the physician saying, “The doctor is a scientist, diplomat, and a friendly sympathetic human being all in one, no matter how long and hard his schedule." This quote leaves the readers with a feeling of safety, but that’s not all this quote is conveying. It is also silently but directly pointing out that the Camel cigarettes are to attribute to him staying “a friendly sympathetic human being” all throughout his “long and hard” schedule.

Then to confirm this direct but silent persuasion towards Camel cigarettes, there is this large, shocking, and almost assumptive quote on the lower half of the advertisement in bold capitalized letters, “According to a recent Nationwide survey: More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” Not only does this statement shock the audience, but it also gives a sense of awe. An awe toward the product, and an awe that such important people like doctors would choose Camel to be their priority cigarette. The public then immediately start to affiliate health with smoking. This statement is then followed by a short article about the nationwide survey and also displays an open, alluring box of Camel cigarettes. At the bottom right corner there is also a woman, smoking, with a large capitol T across her mouth. Then by her it states, “Your T-zone will tell you…T for taste….T for throat,” signifying that Camel cigarettes will stimulate your “T-zone”. Then at the very bottom of the advertisement is the products key phrase, “Camels – Costlier Tobaccos.”

During the time of this advertisement, studies had just announced that smoking could be linked with cancer. The public at this time were worried, and that is when Camel took action. Camel decided to start marketing the “More doctors smoke Camel” advertisements, hosting surveys at medical conventions. These advertisements were to re-assure the public, showing them that people affiliated with health were even smoking, and smoking a certain brand too! Through these ads Camel was very successful, and benefited from them enormously.

The next ad was published in the year 2005 by a media designer under the name “Katego”. This ad went viral through the internet and social media, reaching countless people. In the ad there is a pitch black background, giving the feel of danger, darkness, and vulnerability. Then there are two hands and a gun. In one hand is the gun, and the gun has cigarettes lodged in the cartridge impersonating bullets. The other hand is inserting the cigarettes into the gun. This image is powerful, for when the audience sees the gun they associate it with harm or death. What causes the harm? In regular cases it would be bullets, but in this image instead of there being bullets, cigarettes are placed in their stead.

As if the image wouldn’t be impacting enough, there is then a list of golden statements to the left of the gun, shining bright against the dark background. The statements include all sorts of negative effects of smoking, saying that smoking is the, “major cause of stroke” and how smoking, “may cause fatal heart attacks, gum disease, and cancer.” And underneath the list and gun, there are these profound words, “Smoking Kills…so why bother starting?”

This ad is to warn the public of the effects of smoking, trying to disintegrate all motive to start. The advertisement also has the ability to encourage the people who are trying to end smoking, reassuring them that by quitting their habit it will be to their best benefit. After viewing the ad, it leaves the audience a little shaken but with confirmation of the danger of smoking.

After looking at these two ads, it is very intriguing to see the difference and change in standards that had taken place in just the last half century. Prior to the 1950s and even extending farther, smoking was one of the most common habits of the public. Smoking was considered a delicacy, and even associated you with high class. At that time smoking was only promoted, even linking smoking to good health. It wasn’t until the mid-1940s that there was even the studies or technology to connect smoking with some of the health problems physicians started facing more and more often. When studies then came back positive towards smoking being related to health problems, there was mass fear. It was during this time when cigarette companies like Camel came up with advertisements reassuring the public of the health benefits of smoking, trying to keep their companies afloat.

Now in our modern day society smoking is looked upon as a harmful habit and something that you should try your best to quit practicing. Most advertisements linked with smoking are negative in our society today, like the one designed by “Katego”, for we now have the technology to know that there are really no healthful benefits of the habit. Smoking has now become rarer, and is now something people do to escape the world and feel happy, or what teenagers and young adults do to establish a feeling of independence. For the people who want to quit, there are now programs and group therapy, encouraging people that they are going down the right path.

Both these ads, though talking about the same subject, are giving two different extremes. One is promoting the health and commonality of smoking, and the other is revealing the harm and negativity of the habit. The public seeing the advertisement in the 1940’s had confidence that the people who were behind the publishing of the ad were telling the truth or implying the truth, and that smoking really was a healthy lifestyle. This is an example of how advertisements can be misleading, and maybe not fully reliable, just so they can convince the public to purchase their product. Now with the rise in technology and the information that we have obtained, we can now look back and learn from history and be able to confirm profound statements that are advertised, without being misled.

Works Cited:

“More Doctors Smoke Camels” Stanford School of Medicine Web. Nov. 3 2015.

Katego’s “Smoking Kills Ad” Deviant Art 2005 Web. Nov 3 2015.