| Camel Cigarettes: Cigarette Advertising and Visual Rhetoric |
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Camel Cigarettes: Visual Rhetoric in Cigarette Advertising Beginning in the 1920's, it was obvious to most that smoking was harmful to one's health, and the cigarette industry established its basic advertising ideology: Keep peoples minds off of the negative aspects of smoking. A number of tactics have been employed to execute this plan, and the same themes are driving advertisers today. None have been so persistent, however, as the effective use of visual rhetoric. The changes that have been made to continue to advertise effectively place rely increasingly on the persuasive element of images. Advertisers have mutated their strategies so often and effectively, that they have dodged crystal-clear medical evidence that links certain cancers to smoking. Camel Cigarettes have been no exception to the trend. This article will examine universal advertising techniques used by R.J. Reynold's Tobacco Company to promote Camels. When print cigarette ads became common in the first half of the twentieth century, they used many tactics. Smoking was portrayed as glamorous. Images of beautiful women and high class men stole the scenes. Celebrities were often featured in these ads. Sailors, models, actors, and athletes were shown in the act of smoking, and the overall effect was to portray smoking as desirable. Text played a crucial role in these advertisements. Each brand had several slogans, and full page advertisements usually divided their space equally between word and picture. The text mounted an argument that the brand being advertised was superior to its competitors by using unsubstantiated facts, or the opinions of "experts". These claims often regarded typical ailments associated with smoking. Smoker's cough, dry throat, bad breath, and even more serious medical conditions were addressed by the ads, and each brand would claim that their product didn't harbor any of these adverse side-effects of smoking cigarettes. Companies were obligated to adopt this strategy to survive as the population became aware of the overwhelming pitfalls of smoking. The most common rhetorical theme during this period was to use an effective understanding of social context. World War II provided an excellent stage for companies to assert themselves. Patriotism had been stirred by America's abrupt entry into the war and so many Americans were overseas. The print in this ad states that Camels are shown, on record, to be the favorite of servicemen. The strong young men depicted in uniform, smoking Camels, provide a strong rhetorical message. Military service was effective social advertising for men in the 1940's, but women were being sought as well. The rise of active women in American society had been well underway, but with the outbreak of war they had been forced to the forefront of domestic economics, society, and leisure. Camel did not hesitate to draw visual connections between an active female life and their using tobacco. The divide between men and women in 1940's cigarette ads is a manifestation of the rhetorical theory of gendered environments. Diane Hope of R.I.T. writes, "The visual rhetoric of advertising lies in the cumulative effect of ubiquitous images." (Hope, 155) The cumulative effective in this case, is to promote gender roles and associate both with smoking. The picture of the servicemen is iconic. The colors of the flag, and pictures of men in national uniforms hold special places in the American male psyche, and can be linked, according to Hope, to any product if they are appropriated efficiently. The feminine images included in the female ad are primarily nature oriented. Water and greenery are appealing to women primarily because of their innate connection with fertility. To appropriate these images to smoking and a separate category to men, illustrates the great gap in effective cigarette advertisements between the sexes. A study conducted during the 1950's provided the catalyst behind the shift to exclusively image-based cigarette advertisements. A majority of scientists decreed that cigarettes were essentially the same, harmless to healthy smokers. Although the doctors were clearly mistaken, the study led to the ruling that these baseless claims could not be made any longer. After subsequent findings regarding the health risks associated with smoking, it became impossible for cigarette companies to advertise based in words which attempted to convince the public that their cigarettes were "healthy". This gave rise to style of print advertisements that are most common today. (Calee) Camel cigarettes have utilized several successful advertising campaigns since the fall of text based advertisements. The period following this change saw many of the same themes remain effective as they had been in the early part of the century. Beauty, glamour, and pleasure were held in high regard in America, Camel chose the route of pleasure. Throughout the 1950's, Camel advertised that their product was more of a pleasure than others. They featured pictures of people enjoying themselves, and relaxing, while claiming that smoking Camels will help improve one's disposition. Meaning is derived from these permanent representations of what is pleasant. These advertisements were often conceptual representations of situations. The author of the ad hopes to point a consumer to certain concepts which he hopes to appropriate to the product. Although there are also narrative processes at work, such as the silent connection between the man and his dog, the rhetoric comes from the attributes of the characters in the advertisement. The idea behind this ad is to allow consumers to analyze the picture, but in such a way that specific attributes of the objects in the image are highlighted for association with Camel cigarettes. (Kress, 90) Patterns in Camel advertising remained relatively inactive during the next thirty years. Television served as a form of sponsorship, Camels were featured on television shows, and a few commercial spots. However, the trend was cut short after only a few years, by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). When sales dropped considerably in the 1980's RJ Reynolds needed a new method to lure consumers. The image of cool, from the very beginning for RJ Reynolds, was a camel itself. It was always a feature on the packaging itself, however, it had never taken a front seat in advertising. Instead of centering their new ads on beautiful women, or relaxing individuals, Reynolds brought life to the mascot and called it "Joe Camel". They presented Joe in the "coolest" ways possible and involved made him the essence of what it would be like to smoke Camels. His image became the spokesperson for their cigarettes. His image was featured on billboards in magazines, and on storefronts nationwide. Smokers could collect "Camel Cash" to send for Joe Camel merchandise. His activities were wide-ranging, but the message was clear; he was a cool saxophone-playing, jean-wearing, sunglass-toting camel. His image boosted Camel's sales, but his visual rhetoric caused great controversy. To whom was this campaign aimed? Years of stagnant advertising had branded Camels as the "old-man's" cigarette. (Walsh). The push made by Joe Camel was successful. Sales have rocketed since the 80's across all demographics. However, studies have suggested that Camel's sales, among teenagers, since the launch of the Joe Camel campaign have gone up 8000%. Social constructions of Joe's image make him irresistible to some young people. Most agree that he was designed to manipulate teens by appealing to what is, for a short time, most important to them. The power of his image changed the tobacco market, and changed the habits of millions in America and abroad. Controversy with the public and the FTC followed this amazing success, and it garnered widespread media coverage. The FTC's eventual push to eliminate the character only fueled the popularity of his image. (Mulholland) When the pressure for R.J. Reynolds to make a change became too great, the advertisers altered their campaign. The new motto was "What are you looking for", and these were centered on beautiful women. The ghost of Joe Camel however, filled these ads with hidden images of the character. The power of his image to persuade was too great to abandon. Sources: Calee, John E. "The Ghost of Cigarette Advertising Past." The CATO Review of Business and Government. CATO Institute 1997. 1 December 2005 http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/reg20n3d.html Helmers, Marguerite, and Charles A. Helmers. Defining Visual Rhetoric. London: Erlbaum Associates Inc., 2004. Hope, Diane S. "Defining Visual Rhetoric." Gendered Environments: Gender and the Natural World in the Rhetoric of Advertising. London: Erlbaum Associates Inc., 2004. Kress, Gunther, and Theo van Leeuwen. Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. London: Routledge, 1996. Mulholland, Tara. "R.J. Reynolds advertising campaigns for Camel Cigarettes." University of Iowa. 31 November 2005 http://www.uiowa.edu/~commstud/adclass/camel/JoeCool.html Walsh, Bill. "Joe Camel." Media Literacy Review. University of Oregon: Eugene. 31 November 2005 http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/mlr/readings/articles/JoeCamel.html |
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