Analysis of Cigarette Ads in Magazines

For decades we have always been influenced by what we consume on television, the internet, and even magazines. We have been told what to buy, what to wear and even what to eat every since we were younger. We have ads everywhere we turn our heads or where our eyes can immediately direct to. We base our lives on the latest trends and fall for every ad that grasps our attention.

Looking back at ads from the 1960’s, we can see that this was the exact same goal as today; persuasion. Many companies use persuasion to make the public act and buy their products. They use bright colors, simple phrases to read quickly, and attractive people to inflict emotions in the consumers. A great example can be the cigarette ads portrayed throughout the 1960’s in Life. Looking at three different cigarettes ads in the same magazine in 1965, they all had similarities yet they were all different.

In the first ad that I analyzed for the cigarette brand Viceroy, the publication portrays a young attractive couple around late 20’s early 30’s spending the day fishing. However, the page also displayed the pair smoking a cigarette that was known for being “not too strong...no too light...Viceroy’s got the taste that’s right.” This phrase lead to consumers thinking about this particular cigarette as it puts curiosity into the buyer, allowing them to wonder if this cigarette actually has a “taste that’s right.” This ad was not only filled with persuasion, but it was also filled with many colors like red, blue and yellow that would catch the eyes of a potential consumer. These colors are known for increasing sales in the market, yet also making it pleasing to the eyes of women. It is very evident that this was targeted to young white men and women giving them the impression that this was a must have product.

The second ad was by one of the more popular brands today, Marlboro. This ad was filled with cowboys and horses that can be portrayed as manhood and masculinity. The use of colors were very simple as they used black and brown which symbolizes power and the overall dominance that many men yearn to establish. With bold white words across the page stating “come to where the flavor is” and “come to Marlboro country”it gave the ordinary man the prospect of transforming himself or associating himself with, a rugged and macho cowboy simply by lighting up this Philip Morris product.

The last ad that I flipped to was Chesterfield King cigarettes. This endorsement was very intriguing as it was the only black and white ad in the whole magazine. This ad contained portraits of consumers who were smiling while using the product and written testimonies underneath each picture on how much they love to smoke Chesterfield King. Although this ad was simple compared to others, it was very clear that these cigarettes were intended for the middle aged working class as the portraits were blue and white collar people smoking this specific brand.

Overall, it is clear to say that Americans of the 60’s adored their cigarettes as it was a part of their entertainment lifestyle. However, it was also evident that these ads were only targeting to middle aged white men and women in America. The use of persuasion to make the public act and buy their products worked as smoking was a popular hobby in the 60;s and it is still that many partake in today.