Mr. Phillip Block
English 201
31 March 2008
Advertisement Analysis
Do you know somebody that smokes? If yes, this person is cutting years off of their life due to the addictive nicotine that is in cigarettes and the potential health risks such as lung cancer. This advertisement is trying to show viewers the dangers of smoking using a popular smoking icon, Joe Camel. By looking at the picture, the caption, the character, and the setting of this advertisement, one can see the message it is trying to convey about the risks that smokers take with every puff of each cigarette everyday of their lives; however, this advertisement could be improved to attract more viewers.
This advertisement is targeted to people who smoke, but it also mocks cigarette companies such as Camel. Since Camel is a major cigarette company, many adolescents may feel that these companies are really being hit too hard with such advertisements such as the Joe Chemo ads that they will look past the message these ads are trying to get across. Cigarette advertisements are targeting adolescents more and more each day and this particular advertisement is trying to show youngsters the dangerous side of smoking and the potential health hazards that can be caused from smoking. A study done in the Wall Street Journal found that “cigarette advertisements with cartoon characters are highly effective in reaching adolescents” (768). The study went on to say that they “found that ads featuring Joe Camel, R.J. Reynold’s stylish cartoon dromedary, are by far the most popular cigarette ads with seventh and eight graders. Also, “nearly three-quarters of the students liked the Camels ads” (768). In another study done in Chicago with 243, students, researchers found that teens “said they would buy Camels if they smoked” because “Joe Camel was ‘cool’ and ‘fun’” (768). Although the Joe Chemo advertisement is focusing on the dangers of smoking, there are many Joe Camel advertisements that are targeting the youth. Therefore, this advertisement could potentially be sending the wrong message to youngsters. While this ad expresses the dangers of smoking, some teens may find it funny for mocking Joe Camel rather than getting the full underlying message that this ad is trying to convey.
Not only are cigarette companies targeting teens, but more specifically females are being targeted. Cigarette advertisements are conveniently located in popular teen magazines such as Vogue and other fashion issues that many teen women read. Rose Mary Carroll-Johnson, an RN with the Oncology Nursing Forum, found that “with a quick flip, [of a magazine page] I found it-the offending [cigarette] ad had large pink curley-qued borders, a floral motif replaced the pyramid and palm trees, the camels were small and fuchsia-colored, the box of Camels was a trendy black, and the cigarettes were touted as being ‘light and luscious’” (755). Therefore, companies such as Camel are trying to make smoking seem like a fun experience and even making them seem fashionable to gear their advertisements toward females. Feminine cigarette advertisements try to “meld into the displays of expensive shoes and outfits” which can appear to “young women in high school, many dreaming of launching modeling and performing careers, and those in college facing the pressures of becoming adults” (755). With advertisements directed toward young females they are receiving “double messages: Smoking causes heart disease-but everybody does it; smoking causes cancer-but it can keep your appetite under control; smoking is unhealthy to those around you who do not smoke-but you and your guy can look so cool when you light up; smoking blackens your lungs-but this brand is completely natural; smoking can harm an unborn fetus-but this cigarette is toffee flavored; smoking is powerfully addictive-but you can quite anytime; smoking is bad for you-but you are no the boss of me! (755). It is statements such as these, that makes females accept smoking as a social activity to try to fit in and that smoking is okay despite all the warnings and hazards. With beliefs like these, not only are young women, but also young men more likely to smoke or at least give it a try. This is especially dangerous because “one cigarette may be all it takes to get hooked” according to the Journal of Family Practice (1017). Studies show that after just one cigarette symptoms of addiction are already present and people can get a feeling of withdrawal which gets them hooked on cigarettes (DiFranza 1017). As a result, if advertisements such as the Joe Chemo would try to attract more young viewers, perhaps more and more teens would not be getting addicted.
Now I suppose you are wondering how all of this ties into the Joe Chemo advertisement. Well, it is advertisements that target adolescents, especially females, that make Joe Chemo advertisements seem dull and boring. The Joe Chemo advertisement does not use any floral motifs, curley-qued borders, bright colors, bold headings, or anything else that would make it attract attention. Joe Chemo advertisements are not displayed in typical teen magazines to draw attention to the dangers of smoking; rather, these advertisements are placed in magazines that teens do not read causing them to miss out on the message. Although it is trying to convey such a huge message affecting ones health, this advertisement is not nearly as creative, detailed, or directed towards adolescents as normal cigarette ads typically are.
The Joe Chemo advertisement as a whole focuses on the dangers of smoking and the risks that smoking involves. The underlying message of this advertisement is to stop smoking or to never start to begin with. In this picture, the normally healthy looking Joe Camel appears to be unhealthy and undergoing a chemotherapy treatment. Furthermore, the main Joe Camel is being followed by several others who are also undergoing treatment. This represents the large number of patients in the United States that are impacted by smoking and lung cancer. Not only are smokers at risk, they also put others at risk from the second hand smoke they emit into the air. Therefore, smokers are not only endangering their own lives, they are also putting others at risk for their personal satisfaction that they get from cigarettes. While this ad could have many messages depending on the viewer, it could be more effective if it listed some of the major health risks related to smoking.
Another noticeable feature of the Joe Chemo advertisement is the camels following him. Consequently, one could view this advertisement as marketing friendship through smoking. Some adolescents could get the impression that smoking will allow more social experiences and lead to lifelong friends-even friends that take chemo treatments together. Adolescents would do almost anything to feel like they belong, including smoking, which is why this advertisement may be sending mixed messages to teens about the risks of smoking.
The character is the central image in this advertisement. Joe Camel is a major icon for Camel cigarettes. Therefore, by using Joe Camel as the central picture, the advertisement is trying to demean the Camel brand of cigarettes and trying to really hit home to people the risks of smoking. Using this popular smoking icon really draws attention to the advertisement but it only shows one of the risks associated with smoking. Although cancer is one of the biggest threats to smokers, it is by far not the only risk involved with smoking. By looking at Joe Chemo other visible signs of smoking are present. Some of these visible signs include wrinkles and dark circles around his eyes. Also, smokers tend to smell bad because of the smell gets on their clothes, have bad breath, and often times have yellow teeth. Perhaps the designers of this advertisement could really emphasize some of the signs of smoking by making Joe Chemo’s teeth a bright yellow, green air around his mouth to represent his bad breath, or other details that viewers could notice to make the advertisement more effective to grab people’s attention.
The caption underneath of Joe Camel is “Joe Chemo” which implies that Joe Camel is receiving chemotherapy treatments for cancer which can be caused by smoking. Smokers are at an increased risk for cancer, especially lung cancer.
The hospital is the main setting in this advertisement. Joe “Chemo” is being followed by other camels who are receiving chemotherapy treatment as well. By the looks of it, these camels have made themselves at home at the hospital because they are in bathrobes and the traditional hospital socks which means that these camels will most likely be in the hospital for a while. However, there is the possibility that these camels could end up dying first, depending on how heavy of smokers they are/were. Also, it looks like this is a routine situation for these camels to just cruise through the hospital hallways with their chemotherapy machines.
Overall, this advertisement is trying to get across to viewers that smoking is not a wise choice. Smoking presents many dangers not only to the smoker but also to other people who come in contact with the smoker. By looking at the advertisement as a whole and then looking at each individual part of the advertisement, it is clearly communicated that smoking is a dangerous and risky choice, especially since smokers are not only choosing their own fate, but are also affecting the fates of others by putting them at serious risk. However, this advertisement could be more effective with the use of bright colors, details to attract viewers, listing other potential health risks associated with smoking, and placing this advertisement in magazines that adolescents read.
Works Cited
Carroll-Johnson, Rose M. “Fashionable Pink Camels.” Oncology Nursing Forum 34.4 (2007): 755. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. U. of South Dakota, I.D. Weeks Lib., Vermillion, SD. 23 March 2008.
DiFranza, Joseph R. “Hooked from the First Cigarette.” The Journal of Family Practice 56.12 (2007): 1017-22.
“Kids and Camels.” The Wall Street Journal (1993): 768. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. U. of South Dakota, I.D. Weeks Lib., Vermillion, SD. 23 March 2008.
Advertisement taken from: http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2006-10/joe-chemo.jpg
