The Cig that Broke the Camel's Back from Say the Word

Siya Green

The Cig that Broke the Camel’s Back

The media does a good job at masking what they are really trying to say and their audience doesn’t even realize that they are being manipulated. For example, have you ever been watching TV and after seeing a commercial for a candy bar, you felt the urge or need for one? Or have you ever walked down a street and after seeing a movie poster you decided to go see it? Well if this applies to you, then those are called subliminal messages; in other words, a message that is expressed to you without your awareness. But are we really deceived by the underlining messages of the media? Or do we choose to be blinded by what’s in demand?  Some ads are harmless and we allow ourselves to be tricked into gaining a few pounds or losing a few dollars because of the junk food and entertainment ads, but what about the ads that are more dangerous than others, the ones that go beyond the shallow things, the ones that promote death by making alcohol and cigarettes look glamorous?  RJ Reynolds’ “Camel No. 9” ad appeals to teenage girls, through the slogan, the pink camel, and overall appearance of the product.

   Camel No.9 received mixed reviews because of its ad approach. The ad shows two boxes of cigarettes with a jet black background with teal green or hot pink edges. The ad also has pink roses with a catchy slogan” light and luscious.” At the time the ad was released Camel claimed that the reason for its new product was to attract more women consumers since their traditional target were men. The company felt that they had to change their target after a popular study showed that half of the adult smoking population were female and other comparable brands Kool and Marlboro had already established a relationship with women smokers. Camel felt that they had to catch up (Beirne 2). However, the company went beyond catching up by making their overall appearance visually irresistible.

The overall appearance of the product is so distracting that it’s harmful. For example, there was an ad on (cityflight.com) that showed the word cancer that was altered to replace the word “Camel” on top of its pink and black cigarette box. However, I was so thrown off by the color of the box as well as the pink camel logo that it took me ten minutes to notice that the words were changed. If someone who is taught to recognize the hidden messages of things can be so easily consumed, by the glamour of the ad, what hope is there for teenage girls who are ignorant to the warning signs?  The ad was created to capture a teenage girl’s attention because if someone happens to come across the product in a magazine or on the internet without anything that indicates that it’s a brand of cigarette it could be easily mistaken for a box of candy.

The part of the ad that targeted teenage girls the most was its slogan “Light & Luscious.” The word luscious is defined as something being delicious and pleasing. Frequently, it is used among teenagers to describe something as appealing or attractive. The slogan tries to appeal to girls because of the way it is written. For example, the words are written in light cartoonish pink letter with the “&” symbol in the middle of the words. The fact that the words are written to look like a cartoon makes me believe that the words were supposed to catch a young girl’s eyes. Teenagers purchase a great deal of their favorite cartoon products such as Sponge Bob, Scooby Doo, and an endless list of others; it’s very rare to see a grown women walk into the store and pouches one of these items for herself. The slogan was designed to target teenage girls because of its “&” symbol. The “&” symbol has become an important part of teen expression. They use it for messaging friends on social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

               The pink Camel was created to lure teenage girls to the product by making it very similar to the Victoria’s Secret pink mascot dog. For example, in 2004 the company came out with a clothing line called pink and according to reviews on ebay.com “Victoria’s secret proudly admits that the pink line was geared toward teenage girls.” The line was very successful in their approach and most of their success was owed to their pink mascot. It’s not much of a surprise that Camel put out their mascot three years later in hopes of attracting the same crowd.

 Some may disagree with me and say that their kids aren’t easily influenced; however, if this were true, why do parents install programs on their televisions to block particular channels? And why won’t they allow their children to hang out with kids who seem like their heading in the wrong direction?  In my past experience, I have learned that even a strong willed teenager can be swayed by what’s popular. Even if a few individuals choose to disagree with me they should still take a second look at the message that is being expressed before completely accepting it.

Messages are displayed by the media everyday of our lives; however, is the broadcast message really clear? Did you ever stop to think that there may be a hidden agenda? We find comfort in believing that the message was hidden but was it really? Or did we choose not to see it?  When do we stop ignoring the sign and take a stand by challenging the media.  People want to attack the advertiser for putting out products that target their children months after the damage is done; however, there wouldn’t have been any damage, if we would just take the time to really see the advertisement for what it is.