Essay on Smoking Advertising

Smoking Advertising Term Papers

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Everyday 3,000 children start smoking, most them between the ages of

10 and 18. These kids account for 90 percent of all new smokers. In fact,

90 percent of all adult smokers said that they first lit up as teenagers

(Roberts). These statistics clearly show that young people are the prime

target in the tobacco wars. The cigarette manufacturers may deny it, but

advertising and promotion play a vital part in making these facts a reality

(Roberts).

The kings of these media ploys are Marlboro and Camel. Marlboro uses a

fictional western character called The Marlboro Man, while Camel uses Joe

Camel, a high-rolling, swinging cartoon character. Joe Camel, the "smooth

character" from R.J. Reynolds, who is shown as a dromedary with complete

style has been attacked by many Tobacco-Free Kids organizations as a major

influence on the children of America. Dr. Lonnie Bristow, AMA (American

Medical Association) spokesman, remarks that "to kids, cute cartoon

characters mean that the product is harmless, but cigarettes are not

harmless. They have to know that their ads are influencing the youth under

18 to begin smoking"(Breo). Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia

report that almost as many 6-year olds recognize Joe Camel as know Mickey

Mouse (Breo). That is very shocking information for any parent to hear.

The industry denies that these symbols target people under 21 and claim

that their advertising goal is simply to promote brand switching and

loyalty. So what do the tobacco companies do to keep their industry alive and well?

Seemingly, they go toward a market that is not fully aware of the harm that

cigarettes are capable of.

Next to addiction, the tobacco industry depends on advertising as its most

powerful tool in maintaining its success. Addiction is what keeps people smoking

day after day; advertising cigarettes with delusive images is what causes millions to

be tempted enough to begin the lethal habit. Cigarettes are the most heavily

advertised product in America. The tobacco industry spends billions of dollars each

year to ensure that its products are associated with elegance, prosperity and finesse,

rather than lung cancer, bronchitis and heart disease (Taylor 44). Since there is little

to distinguish one brand of cigarettes from the next, cigarettes must be advertised

through emotional appeals instead of product benefits. Thus, the cigarette's appeal

to the consumer is entirely a matter of perception, or rather, misperception.

There are a few American publications - such as the Readers Digest, Good

Housekeeping, the New Yorker, and Washington Monthly - that do not accept

cigarette advertising as a matter of principle. But for the majority of American

publications, the millions of dollars they receive each year from tobacco

advertisements is not only enough to keep the advertisements running throughout

the year, but enough to control the material they publish. On many occasions,

newspaper and magazine editors have pulled out articles on smoking and health that

they would have otherwise published if the articles did not have the ability to

interfere with their relations with the cigarette companies. An article in the Columbia

Journalism Revue, analyzing coverage which leading national magazines had given

to cigarettes and cancer in the 1970s, concluded that it was:

. . . unable to find a single article in 7 years of publication that would have given

readers any clear notion of the nature and extent of the medical and social havoc

being wreaked by the cigarette-smoking habit. . . one must conclude that advertising

revenue can indeed silence the editors of American magazines. (qtd. in Taylor 45)

Of all of the newspapers and magazines in America, those with the largest

percent of teenage readers seem to be the tobacco industry's favorite places for

advertising. Similarly, tobacco advertisement remains most popular among billboards

located closest to colleges, high schools, and even junior highs. This approach of

advertising to young people has been kept a closely guarded secret since, besides

being illegal, the companies are ashamed of it. If they had a choice, cigarette

companies would simply keep their business between the adult population and not

have to worry about enticing children into smoking - but that is not the case. There

are two fundamental reasons why it is necessary for the tobacco industry to market

their products towards young people (Hilts 63-64):

Nicotine addiction, which is paramount to the industry, does not develop in

adults. Among adults over age 21 who begin smoking for the first time, over 90

percent soon stop completely (65). Among young people ages 12 through 17, who

smoke at least a pack a day, 84 percent reported that they were "dependent" on

cigarettes. Virtually all tobacco use begins at childhood. Half of the adult smoking

population has started by age 14 (Glantz et al. 59); nearly 90 percent of those who

will smoke as adults are already smoking daily by the time they reach age 19. It can

take up to three years of smoking to establish a nicotine addiction; adults simply do

not stick with it long enough (Hilts 65).

The second reason why it is vital for companies to invite children to smoking,

has to do with the state of mind of the adolescent. Children, by nature, are attracted

to many things that the cigarette has to offer them: defiance of authority, a sense of

individualism (which is an illusion, considering they are one among some 50

million), emulation of an admired image, social acceptance by peers, a perception of

masculinity (for males) or sexiness (for females), and many other false notions that

help settle various insecurities of the adolescent. Tobacco executives realize that if

they introduce their products as being capable of relieving numerous social

pressures that teenagers undergo, their products will be perceived this way (to an

extent) by a large percentage of children; these children will let the industry affect

their actions and, ultimately, their lives.

It is for these two reasons that the industry must focus their attention on

persuading young people to start smoking. Cigarette companies view their

advertising approach as an investment. Young people, who are only...

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