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RaeAnn Canterbury
Katrina Newsom
ENG 1020
22 September 2010
SNUS, The “Cool”, “Easy”, and “Free” Thing To Do.
I have always been told that smoking is bad for me. That smoking is addictive,
causes cancer, gum disease, tooth loss and will destroy my body. Smoking not only
affects the smoker, but everyone else around the smoker. We know that smoking is bad
and that it is harmful to our bodies so why do people still do it? Customers continue to
buy and smoke cigarettes even though it is destroying them! Why would anyone think
that it is a good idea to do something that will destroy them?
The advertisement for Camel’s SNUS tobacco pouch is in many places including
magazines and television and it makes using this sort of tobacco look safer, cooler, and
easier by having a non-typical picture/design, a catchy slogan, and feeding off the
rebellious side of people. In all reality it is not safer or cooler, it is very destructive. The
one thing in this advertisement that would indicate that it is bad for you is the huge
health warning which states that this product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes.
Tobacco advertisements are required to make the health warning use at least 20% of all
the ad space. Although this is there and is very large it is not what my eyes are
immediately drawn to. It seems like something that isn’t even part of the advertisement.
The warning label is so different from the rest of the advertisement that it looks as if it
was not part of it at all. If I was not so aware, I may have just skipped over the warning
all together.
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The SNUS advertisement has a picture of the SNUS tin and pouches in the
shape of a lighter. It makes you give it a second look because you do not exactly know
what it is. When the viewer sees it and has to look at it again it will entice them to read
the rest of the advertisement. The picture and the color of the ad catches your eye.
While flipping through the magazine it almost forces you to stop there. Even the warning
label makes people stop on that page. Although the warning label is designed to warn
viewers of the dangers of using the product, it makes them stop on the page and then
read the advertisement only. Essentially ignoring the warning label and only focusing on
the pretty and interesting SNUS ad. The background of the warning label is a solid black
while the font is white. It is boring to look at and most people just glance over it. The rest
of the advertisement is made to look very cool. It is not just a plain background. It has a
certain design and appeal to it that makes it nicer to look at than a simple white, black,
or blue one. It utilizes multiple colors which adds to the overall appeal of the
advertisement. If someone likes the way something looks they are more interested and
more likely to try whatever the advertisement is trying to sell them. If someone looked at
an advertisement that was just plain black and white, had no picture, and just a short
boring statement and looked at another advertisement like this one of course they would
choose the SNUS ad as more appealing. They would not even want to try what the
boring one was trying to sell. The bottom line here is that Camel is making the
advertisement look very nice using interesting pictures and vivid colors to try and get
you to try their product. They want you to look at it, and they want you to keep looking at
it until you decide it is cool enough to buy.
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The next strategy that this advertisement uses is their catchy slogan. They say
“Smoke-free, Spit-free and Drama-free.” It just makes using this sort of tobacco seem
so much easier than actually smoking a cigarette. Many people who do not like the
smoke part of smoking will be drawn in by this statement and the people who do not like
the spitting part of using chewing tobacco will also be drawn in. They are trying to talk to
those sorts of people. Camel is trying to reach different types of people, not just the
classic smokers. By making it “drama-free” viewers of this advertisement will see that it
is easier to use this sort of tobacco and just want to try it or at least see what it is all
about. People could just be curious about how it is “spit-free” and “smoke-free”. When
most of us think about tobacco we picture a cigarette. This is new. This is fresh. People
are curious. Underneath the slogan are more statements about the product. “Camel
SNUS is the tobacco pouch perfected. Simply place one under your lip and enjoy the
bold refreshing flavor. Sold cold for ultimate freshness. Camel SNUS -- the pleasure is
all yours”. The way they put this implies that it is simple, easy and refreshing to use.
They explain what to do and if you do that then you will be refreshed by the flavor. The
experience is supposed to be pleasurable. They want you to believe all of this, but it just
does not seem to make sense. The ad contradicts itself. It tells you how great the
product is with the slogan and further description, but then right under it there is a large
warning label. So, on one hand we have how much pleasure it will give me and on the
other hand we have that it is not a safe alternative to cigarettes, it causes mouth cancer,
and other warnings that circulate on the advertisements. None of that sounds
pleasurable, now does it?
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“Break Free.” That is what is says on a very small portion of the advertisement.
Even though it is small it is very important. What Camel is doing here is feeding off of
our desire to be rebellious, or to be different. Break free from the normal. Stop smoking
cigarettes and try this. That is so enticing to some people. This world is full of vulnerable
people and people who want to be unique. This little saying is a perfect way to reach
those people. Society these days does not want to be the same. Being uniform is no
longer desirable. Everyone wants and “needs” to be different. Many people will use
tobacco to be “rebellious”, but since many people do that it becomes just another thing
that many people do. This SNUS gives people even more options and another way to
“rebel” and be different. There is just something appealing about being rebellious. It is
something that society has been shoving down our throats for years. Many
advertisements, commercials, TV shows, movies, and books completely promote this
type of behavior. They make the smoking and using tobacco the cool thing. They make
it look rebellious and have made rebellious look cool. Teenagers and young adults are
particularly drawn to that sort of behavior. They want to be cool and rebel against what
is the right thing to do, and that is not kill yourself with tobacco. Most young people do
not see smoking that way however. They see what the advertisements show them.
Tobacco companies are clever. The advertisements for Camel’s SNUS tobacco
pouch are in many places including magazines and television and they make using this
sort of tobacco look safer, cooler, and easier by having a non-typical picture/design, a
catchy slogan, and feeding off the rebellious side of people. It is not an easy task to
make an advertisement still work for you when 20% of it has to be a warning that warns
people of the dangers of your product. There are vulnerable 18 year olds who are willing
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to do anything to be different, can be drawn in by a cool design, and does not like
drama. The ad claims that this tobacco is “Drama-free”. What is so “drama-free” about
mouth cancer? What is “drama-free” about death?
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Works Cited
In the advertisement I actually used from the magazine the warning label was black with
a white font. The opposite of what I have shown here.