A Juul Cartridge is an electronic cigarette that is beginning to take hold in American society. Juul   cartridges are a form of Nicotine that can be ingested orally. I chose this advertisement due to the fact of many of my friends are beginning to smoke and use these devices. The advertisements are also some of the most updated marketing campaigns that I have seen, with a target audience mainly around millennial and new smokers. The flashy and colorful ads catch the eye of many youths and draw them into a new and hip smoking device that still will get you addicted. Juul Labs Inc was founded by two smokers who decided to apply themselves in a product development for an alternative smoking device that was small for he market. The product arrived on market on June 1, 2015. On the Juul Labs Inc website, they list their mission goal as improving the lives and advancing alternative smoking techniques into the next century with adult smokers in mind. The Juul is represented by PAX labs, which is an electronic cigarette company that was founded in 2007. In a 2015 article from The Verge, PAX is referred to as the “Lambo of Vaporizers” which is a strong and bold title to acquire. Their products are designed to look both sleek and concealing. The size of the vaporizers is aimed to reduce the eye catching of the public allowing for people to smoke in private in public places (Crook). Weird right? PAX Labs has been creating vaporizers since 2007 and have since cornered the market and produce the best product for vaporizer users – as seen in Business Insider, Engadget, Tech Crunch, and Mashable (Crook). Their website provides the idea that they are providing for the adult smoker, however, the advertisements, and marketing materials such as photos, show no adults but rather the rising young adult class in our nation (PAX Website). The pictures represent a young and fun lifestyle, older cigarette advertisements were always targeting the bold and masculine sides of men, and the strong and classy side of women who wanted to smoke. In all cases, most cigarette advertisement avoid the health aspects and focus on the fun and excitement that you can get out of life from a cigarette. This advertisement was taken from an article about Juul Vaporizers on a electronic cigarette advocacy site. This ad aims to target millennial and the fun generation, as expressed before, but it is attempting to brand a new generation of smoker, to show the world that people will still want to smoke and have the expressive fun life as pictured in the ad above. It is possible that the people who use Juul vapes will attract younger people, possibly a mate, or someone of importance because you are having fun. The marketing campaign has moved away form the need to be “cool,” instead it is focusing on the bright colors and fun in life that the Juul cartridge and vapes can provide to its users. Many of m friends are being attracted to these for many different reasons besides “fun” and “excitement.” Many of my friends who smoked cigarettes beforehand love their Juuls because of the ease it brings to them. As long as you don’t lose the tiny charger, the Juul can preform almost endlessly. The additional flavors also provide an out for those who want to smoke a cigarette, but not have the taste/smell/feeling that a cigarette provides. Many of my friends find their Juuls to be much more useful than carrying around a pack of cigarettes constantly. Evidently enough, I have firsthand experience with the fact that these advertisements work and have gotten many of my friends to start using these vaporizers, which was the point of the advertisement in the first place. Juul provides a list of ingredients in each pod as well as being transparent about the creation process. The following information comes directly from the Juul FAQ. The ingredient in a single pod are: glycerol, propylene glycol, natural oils, extracts and flavor, nicotine and benzoic acid. The first two ingredients are used to keep the liquid moist. The Benzoic acid is a food preservative and acts to keep the pods preserved and up to standard with other vaping liquids/or juices (Benzoic acid). Natural oils and extracts for flavor are added (they aren’t listed) and lastly nicotine is added. The nicotine added is in the form of nicotine salts and are dissolved in the liquid that is created for the pods adding the nicotine drug content. The single most troubling thing about these ingredients still comes down to the fact that the FDA has not approved this. The website gives information that the Juul e-liquid is tested by an independent lab. Within each pod, there is roughly a pack of cigarettes. The Juul website reports that each pod has “0.7mL with 5% nicotine by weight,” which is equivalent to the average pack of cigarettes, or 200 puffs. The advertisement makes no mention of any of the negative effects of nicotine and makes no mention of the negative effects that addiction to nicotine can have on you. However, when reading through the FAQ, many of the tabs expressed the idea that if you do not consume nicotine products already, that it isn’t a good idea to start now. Also communicated were the facts of no Tobacco product is safe, and again, if you aren’t already consuming tobacco products to not start. The effects of the Juul mimic the pleasure response to the consumption of tobacco, however the same psychological effects are taking place and the physical effects of tobacco on the human body still take place. The ad that I chose for this assignment is cleverly deceptive. The flashy colors draw you in. The pretty and smiling girl on the right side can express the sexual side of advertising, drawing in men who find her more attractive thus they will find he Juul more attractive. The Juul has been present for about 2 year now and the advertisement is advertising the addition of new flavors and once again draw in users to try the new flavors and thus to continue smoking. The ad does a great job of advertising bright and fun times, which is mostly what all cigarette ads perform with. The ease of advertising online is also a strong point to make. With a single click of the button I can be redirected to their website. From there, I can easily make a purchase of these Juuls and receive it in the mail only a few days later. Can I recommend this product to anyone? I would strongly urge everyone to stop smoking cigarettes and find a less intense product, use patches and use alternative methods to smoking. The product, while tested, isn’t approved by the FDA and is unknown to them as of today. I don’t feel positive about putting chemicals into bodies that are unknown to the after effects and later health problems. I have first-handedly watched friend go from smoking about a pack a week or more to using these Juuls. The only issue with that was the fact that they began going through multiple pods a week. That meant that many of my friends went from smoking about a pack a week, to smoking multiple packs a week. They increased their intake an incredible amount. I have been in a car with a very good friend who couldn’t find their Juul, we spent an extra hour and a half retracing steps all over town to find it. He was sweating, getting testy and angry, and needed his fix. Eventually we found the Juul, in his back pocket. He didn’t say sorry, or tried to make up the fact that he wasted a bunch of peoples time in order for him to get back to center. That occurred more than once with the same friend. When asked about if he had an addiction, he felt that he had it under control and that it didn’t affect others, this is a true statement. Smoking cigarettes and using Nicotine is dangerous and addictive. It can cause many different problems in and around your life. I don’t advise you to start using, however, if you are already a user, finding an alternative to help STOP is the key, finding an alternative to continue the habit does not benefit you or your health, at the end of the day, you are still ingesting chemicals that can cause cancer, heart disease, and countless other health issues. Citations:

Tiku, Nitasha (April 21, 2015). The Verge. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/21/8458629/pax-labs-e-cigarette-juul

Crook, Jordan (July 16, 2017). TechCrunch. Retrieved from: https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/16/a-year-with-the-pax-labs-juul-vaporizer/

Benzoic acid. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2017, from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/benzoic_acid#section=Top

https://www.juullabs.com/our-story/

https://www.ecigsandcoupons.com/reviews/juul

https://www.paxvapor.com/

http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=af09qTgQ&id=78D0B3A63B874A57B52D1217AEE35E996A03788F&thid=OIP.af09qTgQcz_czelOvZDNngEVDh&q=camel+tobacco+2017&simid=608007087082505244&selectedIndex=17&ajaxhist=0

The Truths of Tobacco

By Tess Davis

I’ve chosen tobacco because tobacco has not gotten old in practice. It has never gone out of season. Nicotine will never go out of style. This advertisement was prominent to me because it embodies the fact that tobacco will never be boring to its smokers and it will continue to take on new forms of being used. Here, I have exemplified the Camel Crush. Now the cigarette can have the option to be either just a cigarette or a menthol infused cigarette at any time during that particular smoking.

As tobacco smoking has taken on new forms, this has kept it an exciting part of global culture. Nicotine, one of the most used legal drugs around the world, has captured the attention and lungs of many. Its ability to become so widely used has come from the false advertising that has held tobacco so highly, the lack of information people actually have on the ingredients and the ever evolving additives that companies are not only mixing with tobacco products, but additionally substituting tobacco products with. As we will discuss Camel Cigarettes, their innovation will reinvent the practices of smoking tobacco through rolling cigarettes and through pipe smoking. Camel Cigarettes will inadvertently be related to the invention of things like chew and vaping as Camel proved that consuming tobacco products could be altered to compliment different forms of life and different times. The evolution of Camel Cigarettes has been alive and thriving for over a hundred years taking the lives of many as it grows for the interest of capitalistic profit.  

According to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company by Barry McGee, Camel Cigarettes was born in 1913 and fathered by R.J. Reynolds and his growing R.J. Reynolds tobacco industry. Raised by a tobacco farmer, Reynolds was introduced to the tobacco industry at a very young age, the result eventually being the R.J. Tobacco Company. By growing up in the smoking marketplace this led to innovations such as adding artificial sweetener to chewing tobacco and inventing the first pre-rolled cigarettes. Reynolds’ mission was to cash in on the cigarette marketplace by appealing to the public with this new and innovative pre-rolled cigarette that had taken a lot of the work out of smoking. Beforehand patrons had rolled their own. As Reynolds had died in 1918, his Tobacco Company lived on through his brother.

One of the gimmicks for selling Camel products down the line included catering to younger people. R.J. Reynolds even stated that, “Realistically, if our company is to survive and prosper, over the long term, we must get our share of the youth market” (Camel Cigarettes). In the 1970’s due to the their competition, Marlboro, they wanted to target the age group of 14 year olds to 24 year olds and even thought of targeting this age group through the appeal of comics. In 1988 this target for younger smokers continued with the creation of Joe Camel, a cartoon camel who was made to appear with sunglasses that often gave off a cool and stealthy appearance that was often depicted in casinos and bars. This cartoon cigarette prop in turn increased the proportion of young users. The proportion of cigarette users is still majorly younger patrons.

As this ad was found online and the internet has become a large part of how young people today interact, young people are more likely to see it. Due to the fact that younger people are targeted in the cigarette market, this ad is particularly intriguing for several reasons. As noted earlier, the link to coupons appeals to those who lack financial stability which is experienced by a lot of youth today. This in turn, reals them in. Then with the contrast of loud colors, specifically the red in the word “BOLD”, this targets the idea that youth today and wild and free. It is as if the cigarette is telling people that it will make them more bold. It also challenges the idea of trying something new verses those who dislike change. It gives people the option of being bold, to crush the Camel Crush, but it is not forced and one does not have to do it if they don’t want to. It in turn is a comforting cigarette, for those stuck between wanting to be outgoing but also wanting to not change.

On the ad, in the bottom left corner in small text it reads “Surgeon General’s Warning: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.” With this disclaimer, on the ad or on a packet of cigarettes for that matter, they do not list what is actually in a cigarette besides tobacco. What may have started as a mixture of Turkish and Virginia tobacco in Turkish rolling paper as Barry states, has now transformed into something far more complex.

According to BBC Worldwide’s What’s in a cigarette?, cigarettes contain 599 additives which include the following: ammonia, arsenic, benzene, butane, carbon monoxide, cyanide, lead and many other substances. As with the Camel Crushes, there is a small capsule of menthol added to the top of the cigarette for its users to squeeze then resulting in a release of menthol. So, in the end, cigarette smokers know that cigarettes cause these dangerous results, however, do not typically know what goes into them. Of course these additives aren’t good for those who use them. Not only are a good portion of these additives poisonous, but also addictive. Essentially these additives destroy the body, but also create an addiction to them. People grow to need them mentally, physiologically and physically. The body needs them, but then they become a way to battle stress and life’s mental obstacles. It becomes a way to relax. The ad focuses on how it is the same tobacco as it was before, however, people think that it is just tobacco and disregard the additives that could be included. The ad is essentially disregarding the components that makes smoking these cigarettes even more harmful to the body than just smoking straight tobacco. The ad is a misrepresentation of what is actually in these cigarettes.

As noted previously this ad uses various things to catch the attention of its users. In advertising using colors that oppose each other, like blue and red, catch the eye of the patron. The human eye is attracted to what sticks out. Blue and red do not go together. The eye notices that. As also previously noted, the financial perspective also attractive to users. People are more attracted to things that they can save money on. They see “coupon” and they are even more intrigued. People are also more attracted to advertisements that capture aspects of being more outgoing. They read “BOLD” and they have this idea that by smoking the Camel Crush, this will make them more bold than they were. It also attracts the cigarette smokers that like to have options with what they smoke, menthol or nonmenthol. Also noted before, this ad creates the idea that those who smoke it will only be smoking a mixture of tobacco and menthol. It does not outline the additives.

As I have actually smoked this type of cigarette, I did enjoy the menthol capsule, however, it is still a cigarette. If I had to recommend a cigarette or any form of tobacco to a friend of family member, I would hands down always recommend American Spirit. Their tobacco does not include any of the additives that other cigarette brands sneak in. Besides their menthol cigarettes that contain a mixture of menthol and tobacco the American Spirit tobacco has grown more popular over time due to its simplicity and target towards exposing other tobacco companies that use poisonous additives. Due to a new generation of people who have taken a popular liking to vaping and alternatives to tobacco with additives, American Spirit has been marked as one of the more honest tobacco brands on the market.

However, by stating this, I am in no way saying that American Spirit is safer to smoke. Tobacco is still tobacco and is in no way good for you. On the package for American Spirit cigarettes, one will find it states, “100% free of chemical additives.” If one wants to avoid all the additives though, American Spirit is the way to go.  As modern times has given consumers more opportunity to divulge into the products that they take a liking to, this has altogether given the populace more choices and also the ability to make the better choice. If someone were to see this advertisement and want a more honest option, one should look towards the American Spirit menthol options even if they do not include the Crush.

References:

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2013). Camel Cigarettes: A Long History of Targeting Kids. [PDF file]. Washington, DC: n.a. Retrieved from https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/microsites/camel/Camel_History.pdf

McGee, Barry. (2006). R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Encyclopedia of North Carolina. Retrieved from r-j-reynolds-tobacco-company

What’s in a cigarette? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/features/health/tobaccotrial/inacigarette599.htm

By Mara Powers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c

This ad is for Winston cigarettes. It is featured in the famous show, “The Flintstones.” I chose to do a tobacco ad because they are so common and have been very prominent throughout American history. Many of the old advertisements are striking by claiming that doctors approve of one brand of cigarettes over another; or that famous athletes, movie stars, and so on, approve and endorse this product. I think that many people see these ads without truly digesting what they are watching and the effect it has on the viewers. I think that it is very important to discuss why companies are allowed to advertise products like this to wide demographics. It is harmful for everyone, but specifically adolescents and teens, who are very impressionable, to see advertisements for drugs like tobacco.

I chose this specific ad because it shows that tobacco companies advertise in places that are not just for “adults.” This ad shows the lengths tobacco companies are willing to go to in order to advertise their product and get as many consumers as possible. It surprised me that a tobacco company would choose a children’s show to sponsor. To me, it would make more sense to put your advertising dollars into a demographic that is actually of-age to purchase your product.

The company that produced this ad is RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, also known as Reynolds American. The company was formed in 1875 in Winston, North Carolina (hence why the cigarettes are named Winstons). RJ Reynolds sold a variety of tobacco products, including more than 12 types of chewing tobacco.

In 1899, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. was not doing as well as hoped. The owner, Mr. Reynolds, resorted to selling two-thirds of the company to the owner of American Tobacco Company, James Duke, for $3 million. The deal allowed Mr. Reynolds to manage Reynolds Tobacco. Reynold’s big break came in 1913 when they introduced Camel cigarettes. Part of why they were so successful was their price: $0.10 for a pack of 20 cigarettes—which was 5 cents less than his competitors. Camels were so popular that by 1920, RJ Reynolds was the top-selling cigarette company in America.

RJ Reynolds started using a company called NW Ayer & Son to do their advertising in 1910—which may not have been the best choice. Reynolds did not run its first “female-friendly” campaign until 1929, which was after the other two tobacco companies that made up the “Big Three.” Reynolds also did not respond or counter American Tobacco’s claims about “toasting” which supposedly made Lucky Strike cigarettes less harmful. Additionally, Ayer and Reynolds did not utilize advertising on the radio until 1931 (three years after Lucky Strike). After Camel’s sales continued to decrease and advertising costs were continually increasing, RJ Reynolds switched to an advertising company called William Etsy & Company in 1932. This company focused their advertising on young adult audiences. The first advertising campaign ran by Etsy was put out in 1933 and by 1936, Camel was the top-selling cigarette again.

More trouble for Reynolds ensued when doctors started publishing links between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer in the fifties. In order to combat this and regain public faith, Reynolds introduced Winston filtered cigarettes as well as a menthol cigarette. Reynolds continued to struggle in the fight against doctors, including the U.S. Surgeon General who, in 1964, issued a report that outlined a specific link between smoking cigarettes and diseases.

RJ Reynolds Tocaboo Company has seen its ups and downs in the tobacco industry—sometimes being the top performer and other times failing to perform. Regardless, the company has been successful in selling their product for more than 100 years (AdAge, 2003).

The ad is located in the middle of a children’s television program, “The Flintstones.” Children would be watching this television show presumably either alone or with their parents. I do not believe this ad was intended to encourage children to smoke, but instead, to make it look acceptable and cool for adults to smoke. When children see a TV show that features their favorite characters doing something, they likely aspire to do the same thing when they are older. The ad shows Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble taking a smoking break and talking about all of Winston cigarette’s great attributes. They talk about the taste, the type of tobacco used, the filter, and why they prefer Winston cigarettes.

I think they are also advertising to the adults who are watching this show with their children. It may make them think, “Oh yeah, now would be a good time for a smoke” and remind them to buy Winston cigarettes. The language used by Fred and Barney would not necessarily be understood by children because they likely do not have a good understanding of the parts of a cigarette. That is why I believe they are trying to advertise to the adults and children.

The active ingredient in cigarettes is tobacco—a plant that contains an addictive ingredient called nicotine. These ingredients are both addictive and extremely dangerous. On average, a cigarette smoker inhales 300 breaths of nicotine to the brain. Abuse of this drug is common because the addictive component, nicotine, increases the release of dopamine in the brain; which is responsible for the feeling of pleasure and reward. The ability of the nicotine to reach the brain in such a short time (about ten seconds) also plays a role in its likelihood to be abused and depended upon. That relief is short-lived, however, causing the smoker to need to smoke frequently to avoid the “withdrawal” that comes with not smoking.

Abuse of nicotine is immensely dangerous—it can lead to death in a multitude of ways. Nicotine poisoning can cause the user to experience “sweating, vomiting, mental confusion, diarrhea, and breathing difficulties” (Hanson, Venturelli, & Fleckenstein, 2014). Death is possible when there is a paralysis of muscles which stops respiratory functions. Every cigarette can produce one to two milligrams of nicotine and the fatal amount is 60 milligrams. It is also common for cigarette smokers to develop a number of diseases that can lead to death: cancer, cardiovascular disease, bronchopulmonary disease, and can detrimentally effect pregnancy in women. Nicotine has even been used as an insecticide because of its toxic chemical properties.

The ad did not tell you that although there is a filter on the cigarette, the harmful chemicals still get into your body and greatly affect you. The ad showcases all of the great qualities of Winston cigarettes that make them a favorite among Barney and Fred. It inadvertently mentions that there are no additives, but that does not mean that there is nothing dangerous in the cigarette. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission charged RJ Reynolds Tobacco company because it was deceptive to say there were no additives. Jodie Bernstein, the FTC’s former Director of Consumer Protection, said that “Reynolds’ disclosure should clear up any misconception that cigarettes without additives are safer to smoke than other cigarettes. Frankly, there’s no such thing as a ‘Safe Smoke’” (the Federal Trade Commission, 1999).

The ad is a video so it uses a lot of visual techniques as well as Fred and Barney talking in order to draw in the audience and grab their attention. Because the ad is featured during the show, it does not have to do any extra work to gain the attention of the viewer—it is already being watched simply because they are watching the television show.

The main advertising techniques used are: visual imagery of beloved characters, Fred and Barney, smoking a cigarette in order to relax; visual imagery of the actual cigarette while Barney is talking about its great features, like its extended filter and great taste; the words used in the ad to make smoking Winstons sound delightful (“Let’s take a Winston break,” “Winston is the one filtered cigarette that delivers flavor 20 times a pack,” etcetera); the commercial also features Winston’s tagline: “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should!” which further encourages viewers to try a Winston cigarette.

State your overall opinion of this drug. Would you recommend this drug to a good friend or a family member? (Have you done the proper research to back up the overall opinion and recommendation you have formed?) (15 points )

I definitely would not recommend tobacco of any kind to anyone I know. It is proven beyond a doubt that smoking, chewing, or ingesting tobacco/nicotine in any fashion is detrimental to your health. There is nothing appealing or beneficial from smoking cigarettes. Although some people may use them to monitor their appetite and weight, it is not a healthy way to do that. I strongly advise against the use of tobacco and nicotine. The pleasuring or rewarding aspects of smoking or chewing tobacco do not outweigh the chance for illness, the financial burden, or the life-long addiction or dependency.

Works Cited

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (Reynolds American). (2003, September 15). Retrieved October 25, 2017, from http://adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/r-j-reynolds-tobacco-reynolds-american/98855/

FTC Accepts Settlement of Charges That Ads For Winston “No Additive” Cigarettes Are Deceptive. (1999, March 03). Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/1999/03/ftc-accepts-settlement-charges-ads-winston-no-additive-cigarettes

By Mara Crawford

For this assignment I decided to analyze tobacco. Tobacco is used by many Americans and tobacco has been used for years in my close family. I’m curious why so many people use tobacco when its negative health effects are so well known. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, “tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States and each year approximately 480,000 Americans die from tobacco-related illnesses” (2017). I decided to analyze this particular tobacco advertisement because Camel cigarettes are familiar to me and this advertisement appealed most to me initially. The unusual use of a personified camel with bright colors automatically pulled in my attention so I’m assuming it does the same for other consumers.

According to the R.J. Reynold Tobacco Companies Official Site, R.J. Reynolds was the owner and founder of the Camel tobacco company that has been around since 1913. Camel’s became so popular because they were the first prepackaged cigarette (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company – Official Site 2017). Before Camel’s, smokers would roll their own cigarettes. The 20 cigarette pack, the 10 pack carton, and the cellophane wrapping are all standards established by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company – Official Site 2017). By Camel’s 100th anniversary in 2013 they had sold 4 trillion cigarettes (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company – Official Site 2017).

The mission of the R.J. Reynolds company who produce Camel, Pall Mall, and Newport is “we will achieve market leadership by transforming the tobacco industry” (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company – Official Site 2017). Their website includes information on “transforming tobacco” with claims that they are reducing the harm of tobacco and preventing youth from using tobacco. R.J. Reynold’s cigarettes make up one third of the total cigarette sales in the United States, making them one of the most credentialed tobacco producers in our country (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company – Official Site 2017).

The intended audience for tobacco is anyone over the age of 18, or 21 in some states such as California. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 13% of adults aged 18–24 years smoke, 17.7% of adults aged 25–44 years smoke, 17% of adults aged 45–64 years smoke, and 8.4% of adults aged 65 years and older smoke (2017). Young adults and the elderly alike seem to enjoy smoking tobacco which gives cigarette companies a huge advantage. This particular advertisement was placed in magazines and on the television which are both forms of media that likely reach many different types of consumers, even children. In this advertisement we see Joe the Camel who has been controversial in the Camel advertisements because he seems to be appealing to children (Wikipedia 2017). Along with Joe the Camel, this advertisement features a sports car and an appealing woman with the beach and the city in the background which appears to be marketing to men who consider themselves high class or to men who would like to be thought of as high class. The warm colors and the beach may also be attracting women to this advertisement.

Tobacco is a plant whose addictive ingredient is nicotine. Tobacco can be smoked, chewed, or sniffed (National Institute of Drug Abuse 2017). While smoking tobacco, nicotine effects feelings of reward and pleasure. The nicotine is absorbed into your blood and causes the release of adrenaline which then increases blood pressure, breathing and heart rate (National Institute of Drug Abuse 2017). These long term changes in the brain are what cause addiction to nicotine (National Institute of Drug Abuse 2017).

Smoking tobacco is both addictive and dangerous. Tobacco use can cause health issues including lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia, and heart disease which can lead to stroke or heart attack (National Institute of Drug Abuse 2017). Smoking tobacco while pregnant has serious implications on your unborn child including low birth rate, preterm delivery, and even death (American Pregnancy Association 2017). Smoking tobacco can also feel physically addicting, often times people crave the feeling of something in between their fingers or in their mouth. Smoking tobacco also has social implications and people may feel addicted to the thought of a smoke break with their friends. Smoking tobacco can also lead to gum disease and can cause bad breath and discoloration of teeth.

The advertisement above only mentions that smoking while pregnant may have effects on the unborn child, however, it failed to mention any of the other negative effects of smoking. I would consider the fact that tobacco contains addictive and harmful ingredients important to know and, in my opinion, it should be included in all tobacco advertisements. Extreme health risks should also be included in warning labels and on all advertisements.

The first thing that caught my attention in this advertisement was the unusual looking camel. By featuring something unusual the company will draw more attention to their advertisement. They have also personified the camel which makes it easier for us as people to connect with and relate to the camel. Joe the Camel is wearing a suit and sun glasses which leads us to believe he is in a high class situation. The sports car in the background also helps to capture our attention as we are often interested in rare or expensive things and we might believe that smoking Camels will get us into the same situation Joe the Camel is in. The advertisement also features a pretty woman who is giving her attention to Joe the Camel which might make us believe that smoking Camels will help us stand out and appeal to women. The background in the advertisement is a beach with a city skyline which is also appealing to many possible Camel consumers and might remind of us a place we’d like to be visiting. The warm colors used in the advertisement provide a sense of relaxation. The words “smooth character” bring all the aspects of the advertisement together and suggest that smoking Camels will give us the appeal Joe possesses. All of the advertising techniques used in this advertisement are deceptive because smoking a Camel cigarette has nothing to do with any of the situation shown.

This advertisement is no different than most drug advertisements. They aim to portray an appealing situation to possible consumers and to increase the amount of product they can sell. The switch from drug companies only advertising to physicians to drug companies advertising directly to their consumers allowed for more play in advertisement techniques such as weasel words, use of color and or background, use of celebrities, use of sex appeal, etc. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “58% of physicians agreed strongly that direct to consumer ads make the drugs seem better than they really are” (2017).

Tobacco is a commonly used drug and is legal for anyone who is 18 or older (21 in some states) in the United States. I can see how smoking a cigarette would be a social activity or a boredom killer, however, based on my research of tobacco and nicotine use I would not recommend this drug to anyone. In my opinion, the possible health risks (heart disease, cancer, etc.) outweigh any possible “highs”.

References:
American Pregnancy Association. (2017). Smoking During Pregnancy. http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/smoking-during-pregnancy/

National Institute of Drug Abuse (2017). Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cigarettes-other-tobacco-products

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2017). Tobacco Use. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/tobacco-use

R.J. Reynolds. (2017). Transforming Tobacco. Who we are. http://www.rjrt.com/transforming-tobacco/who-we-are/

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2017). The Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising. https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm143562.htm

Wikipedia. (2017). Camel (cigarette). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel_(cigarette)