From 1947-2000 cigarette ads have changed in more than just one way. Each ad pinpoints a certain stereotype of a person as well as containing a slogan that assures the viewer of which stereotype the ad is pertaining to. Each ad does a great job of matching the slogan with the image, while drawing in consumers and maintaining the fulfillment of the consumer’s prefrence. The ad used in 1947 for Camel cigarettes claims “More Doctors smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette”.
The ad also contains a picture of a man posing as a doctor.
The picture as well as the slogan being claimed, provides a sense of comfort and safety. People may think if doctors are smoking these cigarettes they may not be unhealthy. This ad could also come off as an ad promoting the “need for prominence”, while aiming to represent the cigarette of those of a high social status (Fowles 549). The Camel ad also slightly resembles a news article as and is layed out in a very informative manner, while pointing out all of the benefits of the product.
This approach is common because potential consumers are often looking for a new solution” (Bovee 559). If a consumer is looking to become more healthy, or attempt to feel less guilty when smoking a cigarette, this ad may attract their attention, simply due to the fact that the ad claims it is the number one cigarette for doctors. The Marlboro ad of 1970 pertains to those who prefer a cigarette that contains a great amount of flavor. The slogan states “come to where the flavor is. Come to the country”.
This ad’s main attraction is the flavor of the cigarettes, which pertains to the “need for autonomy” due the fact that this ad appeals to those who prefer a cigarette with great flavor(Fowles 550). Not only does this ad have to do with the need of autonomy it also pinpoints the “need for affiliation”, it is obvious the ad is affiliated with those who not only enjoy flavor but also enjoy being in the country, the slogan as well as the picture is what make the two main attractions obvious in the ad (Fowles 544).
The camel ad of 2000 is most likely going to attract those who wish to attain the perfect cigarette, therefore this ad pertains to the “need for aesthetic sensation”, due to the fact that this ad is a simple ad with few words , there is little room for correction nearly being a perfect ad(Fowles 552). This ad will not only attract people’s attention because of the word “pleasure” being placed in the slogan, but also the picture is an attention grabbing picture.
The ad contains a picture a young, fit, attractive male, which also means this ad pertains to the “need for attention” (Fowles 550)Not only does this attract people’s attention it is also desirable. Over the past years the cigarette ads have slightly changed. The pictures, slogans, and the layout have all changed over time, but only to a slight extent. Although the physical appearance of the ads may have changed slightly over time, the idea of advertising cigarettes have not. Just as Fowels said, “most advertisments appearing in national media can be understood as having two orders of content” (Fowles 541).
All the ads serve the same purpose, while each ad does appeal to different types of people, each ad also does the same thing to attract a certain type of person or idea. This is done by placing certain words as well as images to draw in consumers. As consumer’s wants as well as needs change, ads continue to change accordingly. With this being said, most changes that do occur are often subtle, therefore the changes that have been made in ads are often very slight. When major changes are made to ads, it is often due to the fact of improvement of the product or to fulfill a major want or need of the majority of the consumers.