Tobacco Advertising

TOBACCO ADVERTISING

Tobacco is one of the most popular products in today’s market, but in order to be universally known, it needs to be advertised either by magazines and newspapers or by posters but not by television as “ due to mounting clue of health dangers television commercials for smoking were banned beginning in 1971” (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2). Tobacco advertising is much popular these days and we can support that it is the Ð'Ё food Ð'Ё of tobacco industries in order to keep them alive. Moreover, companies that make tobacco advertising can cause many problems to each society and also they can affect consumers to a great extent. So, solutions must be found in order the consumers to be protected, either smokers or non-smokers.

“ Tobacco can be divided in two species, Nicotiana rustica, which was the tobacco of tribes of Mississippi River and of Southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and Nicotiana tabacum, which was cultivated from Brazil to Central America. Columbus noted that tobacco was used for smoking, snuffing and chewing by Indians, who also rolled tobacco into crude cigars. The plant was reproduced as an ornamental and for its supposed medicinal cause. Tobacco use was not accepted by everyone, and in some parts of the world trials were made to ban it. The introduction of mixed tobacco during the first decade of the 20th century popularized cigarette use and led to the greatest enlargement of tobacco consumption in history ” (The Encyclopedia Americana, 800-801).

“ The indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere where the first people who tasted smoking, which become known by the late 1500’s, as use of tobacco, although it was first used as medicinal purposes ”, as mentioned above. “ But although conflict as to the effects of smoking and bans on smoking by certain religious groups, the use of tobacco continued to develop ” (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 1).

“ The roots of advertising exist thousands of years in the past. One of the first known ways of advertising was the outdoor display, usually an eye-catching sign painted on the wall of a building. In medieval times word-of-mouth praise of products gave rise to a simple but effective form of advertising, the use of so-called town criers. The criers were citizens who read public notices aloud and were also employed by merchants to shout the praiser of their waves. Although graphic forms of advertising appeared early in history, printed advertising made little headway until the invention of the printing press. In the end of 19th century many companies began to produce packaged products under brand names. This increase was used in a new period in the history of advertising. Previously, such everyday household goods as sugar, soap, rice, molasses, butter, milk, lard, beans, confectionery, candles, and pickles had been sold in nearby shops from bulk packages. As a conclusion, consumers had seldom been

aware of, or inspired by, brand names. Public-relations specialists have advertising as a way of communication, that is why outdoor posters, photo-engraving and other inventions were used, by the time electricity was invented ” (Encarta, Encyclopedia 2000, 1-2).

“ Advertisements should not be seen to convince people to begin smoking; advertisements should not search to give support to smokers to smoke more or smoke to an amount greater it is necessary; or show a cigarette being inside the mouth; advertisements should not overstate the attractions of smoking; plus eleven other stipulations including provisos regarding young people ” (Baker, 43).

“ It was found, from studies, that black people, African-American, take into account brand names more than others and follow more advertisements for different products ” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1). As Elaine Brodey mentioned Ð'Ё When you look at an ad that is not an all-white commercial, it takes on a texture. It is different than the all- white commercial that preceded it, and different than the commercial that follows it. I think it makes the product more memorable Ð'Ё. And she continues Ð'Ё I think it reflects societal attitudes. Advertising is not necessarily a leader in certain areas. One of the areas where they follow is in casting Ð'Ё. Finally, she said Ð'Ё I am not trying to make a social-awareness statement; I have got a job that says I have got to sell a product to a certain group of people. If it was an ad that was going to run in a mass-market consumer magazine, like TIME, if there is a choice, we would put a white person in there Ð'Ё (Haberstroh, 2).

Tobacco advertising can be described as the Ð'Ё food Ð'Ё of tobacco industries because as all humans need to eat in order to be alive, that is how tobacco advertising is needed for the tobacco industries to be alive and of course profitable. Also, advertisement is needed for tobacco industries so as to be known by every citizen and be able to keep their sales in a high standard and of course be able to win their competitors.

Moreover, companies can cause problems as they have as a goal to approach consumers in all possible ways, in order to be successful. In addition, tobacco companies want to be always the best and that is why they always produce new goods and services, so as to satisfy the society’s needs. Also, not only slogans and happy messages are usually used to advertisements, in order to grab many smokers’ attention but also tobacco companies make different presents or surprises, such as giving one pack of cigarette free and different T-shirts with the specific brand that is about to be promoted.

Ð'Ё Advertising is considered to be important to economy and in order to succeed the great production of each goods and services all possible ways are taken, to grab consumer’s attentionÐ'Ё and Ð'Ё Advertisers are obliged to take into consideration both the country’s laws on obscenity and indecency and public taste Ð'Ё (Derek, 13). Ð'Ё It is hard to realize why advertisers yet can not stand of disturbing consumers in their adolescence 20Ð'Ò's, and early 30Ð'Ò's, at a period when spending energy is becoming progressively more focused to those aged 50 and above Ð'Ё (Lee, 2).

Likewise, tobacco advertising can affect consumers, as there are people who adopt the idea of a specific advertisement, because it makes people try more the products that are advertised, as they are curious most of the times, such as advertisements

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