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AD ANALYSIS/COMPARISON & CONTRAST
Tfor Taste... Tfor Truth
Ethan Dahl
Every tobacco company's spokesperson stands there, filling those empty pages between articles while taking slow calm drags of a cigarette. Cigarette advertisements all portray calm, independent, sexy smokers. Is this description typical of cigarette smokers? Or are tobacco companies simply producing an appealing image to sell to the masses? And how long has this been an effective strategy?
In the August 30th 1947 issue of Collier's, Camel printed an advertisement to promote its brand of cigarettes. In the April 7th 2005 issue of Rolling Stone, Camel again printed an advertisement; this time they used a completely different strategy. The 1947 advertisement relied mainly on the use of logos and ethos. Since then, the cigarette has been found out and given a bad name for its harmful effects. Camel could no longer rely on a logical appeal when logic would tell a person that smoking cigarettes is harmful and carcinogenic. The advertising strategy has since adapted as a result of the target audience's newfound knowledge. A modem strategy, as seen in the 2005 Camel advertisement, plays heavily into pathetic appeals. Due to a changing audience and the cigarette's gradual acquisition of a negative connota- tion since 1947, the advertising strategy for Camel cigarettes has developed from a logical approach relying heavily on ethos to a pathetic appeal centered on sex appeal.
The 1947 advertisement printed in Collier's displays informa- tion and imagery in a way that seems ludicrous when looking at it in the present day. It is anything but quick and to the point. In one instance a paragraph of text is used to spread the word of 'bronc-riding' spokes- man, Jerry Ambler. Jerry has "...had plenty of experience with different cigarettes during the war" and now "It's Camels with me!" The bottom of the advertisement contains a nationwide survey's results: more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette. Another image claims
"T for Taste... T for Throat," and refers to this as the "T-Zone". All of these images appeal to the viewer's sense of logic or their ability to trust
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Camel. Most of this information, such as the idea of a doctor preferred cigarette, would not be taken seriously today. Jerry Ambler is used to build ethos. Not only is Jerry a bronc-riding star, but he's also smoked his share of tobacco blends. He's smoked his way through the war and has come out the victor by finding Camel cigarettes and deeming them his favorite. A logic appeal is also used here. If a 'bronc-riding' giant like Jerry Ambler smokes Camels it would seem logical for people of the general public to do the same. Maybe his ability to stay on a bucking bronco for an ungodly amount of time comes from each drag of his
Camel cigarettes.
"More people are smoking CAMELS than ever before!" Here
Camel uses another logical appeal - all these people cannot be wrong.
Camel also delivers statistics to the audience: more doctors smoke
Camels than any other cigarette. More detailed statistics are given in smaller print to back up the claim. Showing a nationwide survey with actual numbers brings a certain amount of ethos and logos into the advertisement. Jerry Ambler and 113,597 doctors cannot be wrong about Camel cigarettes, so why should someone not ask for a pack of
Camels on his next stop at the store? After all, it would seem logical.
Rolling Stone's 2005 Camel advertisement has fewer visual images than its 1947 counterpart. The instance of a singular subject simplifies the image and draws attention towards the woman as she suggestively takes a drag of a Camel cigarette. "Camel" is written across the top accompanying the slogan, "Pleasure to burn." Right away it is obvious this advertisement is not about ethos or logos.
There are no facts or statistics claiming Camels to have the best taste or to be the most smoked compared to rival companies. This lack of ethos building imagery, however, is the result of years and years of successful business. People know of the quality that comes along with the Camel name. A camel's silhouette and the words "Since 1913" placed in the bottom left corner are all that is needed to effectively establishes the quality of the advertised product and convince the audience of Camel's ethos.
The only logos used in this advertisement does nothing to aid sales. The surgeon general's warning implies danger, and why would anyone want to pay for that? This mandatory warning is the result of the drastic change of the cigarette's connotation. What was once socially acceptable all over is now banned in many restaurants and other public places. Health issues are always associated with cigarette smoking thanks to government regulations like the display of the surgeon general's warning.
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Instead of logos, the 2005 advertisement relies on sex appeal to promote Camels and sell cigarettes. This sexual imagery would also be labeled a pathetic appeal as it draws out nostalgia and desire from its viewers. This usage of sex appeal is pathos in action. Men are at-

tracted to the woman and women want to be her, so it brings out emotion in both sexes. The image is painted in a style similar to that of early 1900's American advertisements. This allusion to a recognizable time period in advertising is an example ofmythos, yet a symbol of modern culture, an eyebrow ring, was added by the artist to relate to today's audience. The eyebrow ring serves to lure a younger crowd while still relying on the sex appeal of the overall image.
This clash between strategies is due to the evolution of the advertisement's audience. This change was caused by the cigarette's gradual acquisition of a negative connotation. During the time period circa 1947, people were uninformed of the dangers of cigarettes.
Smoking tobacco therefore was not seen as negative. However, as the health risks were slowly unveiled, the cigarette began its downfall.
Smoking has since been banned in the majority of public places including restaurants, stores, and even some bars. Anticigarette campaigns now run rampant among television, radio, and internet media, permeating the average American's psyche. Advertisements promoting nicotine patches and gum and the encouragement to quit are just as prevalent as the ones for cigarettes themselves. Among many people, smoking is no longer seen as fashionable, hip, or cool. Instead, cigarettes happen to trigger the words 'addiction' and 'bad habit'. The cigarette's new position in society helped to change target audiences of advertisements from younger adults and middle-aged smokers to teenagers and twentysomethings.
The source of the 2005 advertisement helps to define its intended audience. The surrounding pages of the Rolling Stone magazine describe a younger reader that knows his or her pop culture.
Many of these readers see the rock stars pictured in the magazine as role models, people to look up to, and sometimes even people to worship. This carefree group consists of males and females from teenagers to young adults, and Camel presumes they will relate to the advertisement's subject. Camel cigarettes will make these people appear sexy and independent at least until they burn down to the filter.
Cigarette companies are known to try their luck with younger potential consumers rather than older ones. The younger their buyer, the longer they are addicted to the company's product. However, this is not the only reason modern advertisements choose to appeal to young people. The acquired negative image gained by cigarettes has not as
24 drastically permeated youth. This group's skewed sense of identity tends to glorify this negative aspect and turn it into a positive attribute.
The students smoking on the street comer adjacent to the high school do not care that Camel cigarettes could cause cancer. Mimicking their favorite pop culture icons in between drags - they have bought the lie and believe they are the epitome of 'cool'.
The 1947 advertisement targets a slightly older age range compared to the 2005 advertisement's young audience. The celebrity bronco-rider's presence would have attracted anyone interested in the sport. An equivalent example in a modern context would feature the
NASCAR great. Dale Eamhardt Jr., puffing away at a Camel cigarette in his stock car. There is a large amount of information presented, including several images and several blocks of text. Camel would have to have assumed the advertisement's viewers would stop to read its sales pitch and not just skip it over.
Both of these audiences obviously smoke cigarettes, what makes them different is the time period they come from. The people of
1947 did not yet see the cigarette as a negative object, which allowed the direct reference of a pop-culture icon. Jerry Ambler. Today, many celebrities refrain from smoking in public as to not scar their image. The modern world has also become much more fast paced. People do not have the time to stop and read an advertisement as lengthy as the 1947 advertisement. The 2005 Camel advertisement wisely employs a simpler strategy containing much less text. A busy American businessman or businesswoman can absorb the advertisement's message very quickly while rapidly flipping the magazine's pages.
After analyzing the differences in strategy, the audience's evolution becomes more apparent. No longer is Camel selling its product to middle aged adults as in 1947. Ethos- and logos-building mechanisms will have less affect on this postmodern audience. Today's consumer has grown up surrounded by antismoking propaganda. They know cigarettes are unhealthy. What's left to exploit is the viewer's emotions. Sex appeal, style and panache, and independence radiate from the young woman with a lit Camel cigarette. Camel has also adapted to today's fast-paced lifestyle by putting emphasis on the singular message. All of these changes in strategy illustrate the development of Camel's target audience between the years 1947 and
2005.