I was flipping through Entertainment Weekly just now, and I came across something I hadn’t seen in I-can’t-even-remember-how-long long: a cigarette advertisement. Looking at the ad, I can’t believe how ridiculous the premise is. Here’s the ad:
I’m not a smoker, so maybe I don’t understand the supposed appeal of this ad. Is this happy couple celebrating a birthday and the pleasure of spending their lives together? Or are they celebrating the pleasure of surviving lung cancer caused by smoking?
To whom is this ad supposed to appeal? Smokers or non-smokers? I’m not jumping off the couch to go grab a pack of smokes and start-up smoking because of this ad. But would a smoker of Newport cigarettes be reminded of how much pleasure they get and the feeling they have when they’re turning their lungs black with these cancer sticks?
The message must be a subconscience trigger to smokers: ooo, I see people enjoying themselves, taking pleasure in life… I like to do that… and I see a little picture of cigarettes… I like to smoke them… cigarettes… pleasure… CIGARETTES!… PLEASURE!… MUST GO GET SOME!!!
