Blog 1

Tobacco advertisements have long been a source of controversy. From vintage ads featuring incorrect health advice, to common ads accused of pushing tobacco products onto children, tobacco ads have continuously been fought against by citizens and government alike. While it is clear why people are repulsed by certain ads, such as those advertising to kids and teens that smoking is “cool” and “hip,” different aspects of the advertising of tobacco can be much more fascinating. Like Jack Solomon had said in his essay Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising, ads commonly do not reveal information about their product, but instead, utilize other techniques for creating a mass intrigue for their product. In this particular Newport ad, the creators play off of the western myth of the desire for a happy marriage, and the idea that their product will make the buyer belong, in order to raise desire for their product.

            The most striking aspect of this ad is its complete lack of information regarding the product. In addition to that, the models in the photo are not even using the product. By removing the cigarettes from the central portion of the ad, they manage to remove every negative connotation from the picture, even though the negative association that people would make with the photo comes from the product itself. The general, non-smoking, public views smoking as an unhealthy habit, and most smokers do as well. However the goal of this advertisement is to draw away from this aspect of smoking, and focus on how the product is pleasurable. Tobacco advertisements face a particularly difficult challenge when it comes to ignoring the negative health impacts the product can have, due to the obligatory Surgeon General’s Warning that must be posted on each advertisement. Through the use of vivid, contrasting colors, such as the bright green background and bold orange text, the eye is drawn immediately to the picture, not the fine print on the bottom. After someone’s attention is grabbed, their eyes immediately draw down to the models. Instantly, it can be seen that the models are happy. This reveals one of the most basic messages that advertisements try to convey. They are trying to show that if you purchase their product, you can be as happy as the two models in this picture, even though there is no evidence that the models have even used the product. However, this advertisement exploits a more basic human emotion, which Solomon noted in his article, which is the fear of not belonging. The advertisement features a newlywed, happy, couple. Against the backdrop of “Newport Pleasure,” this ad subconsciously claims that if you don’t smoke Newport brand cigarettes, you won’t find love. This idea brings up the fear that many Americans have, which is, marriage is the key to happiness in life. This cultural myth expresses marriage as being the end goal of life. Not only is it the norm to find someone to marry, but it is almost expected by most people.  If you find love, you will be happy. Newport is asserting itself as the key to finding this happiness. The statement they are making is that if you don’t buy this product, you will not be happy and you will not fit into this ideal notion of love. Thus, you will not belong. The fear of not belonging is a large driving force in advertising. By showing their product as a normative object, essential to one’s culture, a person is prone to purchasing the object in order to feel like they fit in. While smoking is seen by many as an atypical behavior, this advertisement attempts to instill the idea that smoking is the norm, and the key to all things pleasurable.

            This specific ad adheres to many of the criticisms that Solomon put forth in his essay. The lack of information regarding the product it is trying to sell, the incorporation of the cultural myth of a happy, American, marriage, and the exploitation of the fear of being alone are all prominent in this advertisement. While these unconscious appeals to the viewer’s emotion will not resonate with everyone that sees it, the prevalence of this and other similar Newport advertisements, across the internet and magazines, are a testament to their overall effectiveness.