Smoking & Advertising Essays - Tobacco, Smoking, Habits, Cigarettes

Smoking & Advertising 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