Camel Cigarette Ad Analysis

Have you ever wondered why so many people used to smoke? Or why smoking numbers have dropped dramatically in the last 10 years? Advertising can manipulate the audience based on a variety of persuasive techniques and these influence our way of thinking in favour to buy any product or service. Most ads portray images of happiness and slim, attractive individuals as a way to connect with our longing for social desirability, independence and pride. For a century now, attitudes towards smoking have been shaped by advertisements and many other issues are also moulded like this. The beliefs of smoking in advertising have radically changed over the last one hundred years. This can be seen by comparing a 1980s advertisement for Camel cigarettes and
Where as in the current day it is frowned upon, causes ageing and slowing kills this is evident when comparing two advertisements from different eras. Advertising and their techniques have been the main reason thoughts have changed over time.
The first advertisement that will be analysed is a 1980s Camel cigarette poster. Camel was a popular cigarette brand in the late 1970s up to the early 2000s. This advertisement presents a young attractive male smoking in the foreground with the Camel packet in his sleeve. The attractive young male signifies the apparent benefits of smoking; he has a muscly figure with nice hair, a defined jaw line and a tattoo. By displaying these traits the audience believe that by smoking Camel cigarettes they may become more like the male in the advertisement. The background is a plain colour which brings more attention to the male figure however the dominant colour is an orangey brown which can symbolise energy, warmth and demanding of attention; all of which the creators want you to
Many anti-smoking advertisements are filled with graphic images that show the decrease in quality of life or sometimes even loss of life however this ad took a completely different approach using overall appearance and looking old and worn out. This advertisement shows a woman who appears to be in the 70s, lighting a cigarette with numbered candles, 42, on her birthday cake which is in the foreground. The number 42 on the cake and lighting the cigarette signifies that smoking has affected this woman in the form of premature ageing and appearance. The background is a simple outside area that focuses the attention on the woman however the shrubbery and outdoor area signifies that smoking makes you an outsider as it is not widely acceptable anymore. The dominant colour in the advertisement is blue and this symbolises cleanliness and is also the main colour of the product that can be seen in the bottom right corner. The composition of the add has worked well to clearly show the message and that is that smoking reveals age spots and wrinkled skin, use our product Nicotinell to quit and stay