Introduction
The tobacco industry in America has a long advertising history. The advertising focuses on the promotion of tobacco products. In the past, the tthe obacco industry dominated media and applied different marketing strategies to promote salience. Marketing was done directly via television and indirectly when tobacco products sponsored programs. Advertising of tobacco products seems to assume a downward trend in the field of marketing.
There are many states ta hat prohibit the marketing of tobacco products due to health issues associated with them. The essay will foa cus on outlining change of trend in the marketing of tobacco products, from the 1920s to 2010 in North America. The focus will be on R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company that is based in North Carolina. The discussion will feature five adverts that will show trend transition from the 1920s to the current situation, in relevance to the tobacco industry.
The adverts are; Winston Tastes Good, like a Cigarette Should, Just What the Doctor Ordered, If It Weren’t for Winston, I wouldn’t Smoke, For Me, It Is Low Tar Not Low Taste and me Race to Win I Smoke for Taste. Winsthe ton Tastes Good, like a Cigarette Should, shows a couple smoking Winston cigarettes as it unwinds. If It Weren’t for Winston, I wouldn’t Smoke, features a modern woman who is smoking a cigarette. For Me, It Is Low Tar, Not Low Taste, features a cartoon and is meant to target young smokers. I Race to Win I Smoke for Taste, features Chevrolet Blazer, who gives the product a celebrity touch. Just What the Doctor Ordered, is a form of filtered advert that is meant to match findings that associate smoking with adverse health. Allusion and relevance are essential in enhancing the efficacy of print advertising.
Adverts Scenarios
R.J Reynolds Tobacco was established in 1875 and specialized in the production of differentiatedthe tobacco products. The company is ranked second after Altria Group. The company is located in Winston Salem and has been associated with great financial success over time. Winston the Tastes Good, like a Cigarette Should, was a slogan that was used by the company and was known for its catchy aspect. The Company later published other a adverts that incorporated celebrities and other figures associated the with esteem. I Race to Win I Smoke for Taste features Chevrolet Blazer, a widely known model of automobiles there by an inclination to celebrity. For Me, It Is Low Tar, Not Low Taste, was meant to attract potential smokers. If It Wasn’t for Winston, I wouldn’t Smoke, was meant to represent women and include them in the culture of smoking. Just What the Doctor Ordered was meant to dilute upcoming research that rendered smoking dangerous.
Discussion
From 1920, the tobacco industry in America underwent transition, since there was an introduction of various advertising techniques. Before the beginning of the Second World War, adverts published by tobacco industries were on magazines and newspapers. Tobacco companies focused on the construction of slogans that would attract consumers easily. In this regard, most of the slogans formed were very catchy and attracted the target audience. R.J Reynolds Tobacco was one of the companies that constructed catchy slogans and incorporated celebrities in its adverts. Some of the adverts by R.J Reynolds Tobacco would enterthe tain children who were defined as potential smokers.
During this time, tobacco companies were competing for customers by the use of slogans. The focus was on associating smoking with fashion, to promote salience and loyalty. It should be noted that men were the most smokers during this period. Women who smoked were disregarded in society and associated with immothe rality.the There were no scientific records that could associate smoking with adverse health effects. There were howthe ever religions and other moral institutions that were against smoking.
Tobacco companies continued to promote their brands by offering free cigarettes to soldiers during the war. Second World War was characterized by the highest cigarettes sales in America. Increased sales could be associated with the addiction of soldiers to tobacco, as well as the fact that most of them returned home. Advertising trend changed after the Second World War and inclined on television adverts. Despite marked growth by Tobacco companies, there was an emergence of legal and health institutions, that posed threats to the industry. For instance, there were findings that associated tobacco with cancer. In this regard, Federal Commissions encouraged anti-smoking adverts, and they were aired free of charge.
By 1970, there were various moves that were made in America to ban cigarette adverts on television. The ban became effective in 1971, after which Tobacco industries shifted to print adverts. Tobacco industries continued to receive blows, as evidenced by the 1999 complete ban of cigarette adverts on billboards. Federal commissions focused on publishing adverts that were meant to discourage people from smoking. All tobacco companies were required to print health warnings on cigarette packs. In recent years, the trend of cigarette adverts has continued to deteriorate (Feasey, 2009). Tobacco companies are no longer allowed to sponsor events like sports or openly display logos. There are however, moves by tobacco companies to counteract the current situation.
The changing trend of advertising in the Tobacco industry can be associated with capitalism. Before the emergence of scientific awareness that tobacco could lead to cancer, tobacco industries were appreciated in society. It should however be noted that, tobacco smoking was associated with men due to existing societal norms. The only counteraction that tobacco industry faced was based on moral principles. With emergence of scientific knowledge that tobacco could be dangerous, legal institutions stepped in to ban tobacco adverts. Tobacco industries were forced to acknowledge that tobacco was harmful to health (Goldman, 1992).
However, tobacco companies moved on to incorporate women in target audience, to replace diminishing numbers of men. Other companies chose to use children friendly adverts, as a way of saving their popularity. Other companies used adverts that incorporated views by experts. For instance, Just What the Doctor Ordered was efficient in maintaining numbers of smokers. Despite moves to match information and measures regarding tobacco harm, there was a massive decline in number of smokers in America.
Various adverts used by R.J Reynolds Tobacco were meant to target different audiences. For instance, Winston Tastes Good, like a Cigarette Should, is meant to promote westernization by making it look fashionable. There are other adverts that are appealing to youth. Other adverts tend to recognize existing ideologies like that of scientific research and base their message on them. For instance, For Me, Its Low Tar, Not Low Taste, seem to acknowledge the fact that there is existing information that proves tar to be harmful to health.
Capitalist Realism
Capitalism is form of production where activities are centered on private ownership. There are many types of productions including, communism that have a lower impact on the structure of organization. Role of advertising is crucial in capitalist systems, since owners of the production affect the advertising tools and methods involved. For instance, advertisements are likely to be directed towards the influential population that owns highest portion of production. We live in a capitalistic system which makes comprehending role of advertising essential (Danae, 2000).
Capitalism incorporates many factors, including the economic aspect. The economy affects the production and process of advertising. Even though there are those approaches that criticize the capitalist system, it has a significant influence on social structures. Concern should not be on the rich who decide on what should go on air and what should be filtered, but rather ways in which advertising is likely to follow the identity of private parties in charge of production. The ideology of advertising is powerful and less likely to change since capitalism accepts it with minimal repulsion (Goldman & Papson, 1996). There are many factors that contribute to capitalism, which acts as a structure, that advertising, among other things is built on. It should also be understood that advertising could influence the structure of capitalism.
The adverts are not meant to cause the instant drive to use cigarettes. The adverts will connect with the audience, which will be persuaded to establish a long term relationship with tobacco products. The level at which the audience is persuaded depends on the nature in which it connects with the advertisement. The adverts have to be aligned with the ideology of capitalism as much as possible, for persuasion to be effective. Advertising should, in the best way, trigger sensation or urge to use commodities. The adverts focus on the relationship between consumers and products in a way that is creative and unique. Relevance is one of the factors sought after, whenever people are involved in purchase action. Relevance is the extent at which information given to a consumer, guides or influences him in choice of product.
Individualization
Individualization process is closely related to the concept of capitalist realism. In advertising, individualization can either encourage creativity or lead to standardization. Both creativity and standardization are elements of identity that adverts construct in their interaction process with consumers. Interaction between commodities and consumers creates a sense of identity. It should be noted that many factors and systems including those that contribute to sense of identity are being eroded. Adverts have to use the best way to identify with consumers to get them involved with their products (Williamson, 1978). A consumer is likely to be involved in the purchase process of a product if he or she identifies with it. Identity is essential and comprehensive since it influences the activities of a consumer (Marchand, 1986).
The process of advertising is expected to create a sense of identity in a dual mechanism. The method used in advertising should recognize the essence of identity among the target population. The only way to succeed in persuading the public to purchase a given product is when the target identifies with the product (Marchand, 1986). Time taken in the process of creating a sense of identity affects the relationship that exists between the product and consumers. In this regard, consumers are likely to engage in purchase action of products that they easily identify with than those that they do not. As a matter of fact, most advertisers use celebrities and other things that are popular.
All advertising tools focus on reducing instances of standardization that interfere with uniqueness or sense of identity attached to a product. Standardization incorporates limits that are set by the capitalist system. The adverts of R.J Reynolds Tobacco have rich concepts of individualization (Goldman, 1992). Despite the eminent discussion on the role played by advertising in the capitalistic system, creativity and promotion of consumer engagement with the involved product can never be underestimated. Advertising contributes to a production process that is central to economics.
Adverts determine the flow of cash between producers and consumers since they interact with the purchase process. It should be noted that different adverts are meant for different targets. The fact that the adverts were effective in the persuasion process of men does not mean that they will be equally effective among women (Heath & Potter, 2006). The focus should be on ensuring that adverts are relevant to the target population as much as possible.
Capitalist realism and individualization are interrelated and influence each other. Advertisers should take advantage of the fact that capitalism has minimal repulsion due to existing ideologies. In this regard, the adverts of R.J Reynolds Tobacco are embedded on such existing ideologies, to reduce the rate of repulsion. Despite the concerns of health issues with tobacco products, people find a way to identify with the production.
Concerns should not be directed to negative aspects, but rather the positive ones. For instance, the adverts build on existing ideologies, to be able to penetrate the difficult process of engaging consumers with the product. It should also be noted that sense of identity is essential in the process of rapport establishment, which will ensure long term interaction between consumers and commodities. The adverts that were published later seem to be a continuity of the earlier ones. R.J Reynolds Tobacco should not be criticized for use of the effective aspect of capitalist society. The focus of the adverts was to reach a wider population and minimize the period of identity formation among customers (Klein, 1999).
Conclusion
The process of advertising is a complicated one, as well as significant to a capitalistic society. Even though there is a minimal emphasis on the significance of advertising, its role is indispensable. Advertising builds on the interaction between consumers and the commodity. The adverts of R.J Reynolds Tobacco succeeded in the connection between commodity and consumers. There is proper consideration of the capitalist realism and individualization concepts, in the adverts of R.J Reynolds Tobacco. The five adverts build on existing social and health perspectives in a capitalist society. Even though there are mixed perceptions concerning health issues associated with tobacco products, relevance, and popularity are considered by advertisers.
References
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