The decade of the 1960s represented the beginning of a shift toward greater social liberties. As drug use became increasingly popular with counterculture, celebrities, and normal people adopting new drugs, such as LSD, the tobacco industry had to keep up. They selected this moment to retain their moderate to conservative clientele, as well as reel in new potential customers from the maturing liberal youth of the Baby Boom. Our
Newport Menthol commercial specifically targets the older generation, likely surly with the wildness of the new generation's habits, and looking to indulge in the good old-fashioned comfort of traditional cigarettes. Additionally, it appeals to the
consumerism that the older generation grew up with the previous decade. The 1950s introduced a plethora of consumer goods into nearly all American households for the first time since the minimalism imposed by World War II.
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The construction of 1950s suburbs yielded the stereotyped dream of owning
the ideal "American household," in the working and middle-class. |
As such, Americans who came of age in the 1950s responded strongly to images of the "typical American household," as presented in the advertisement. Compared to today, 1960s society was far more homogenous, at the very least in its media portrayal, encouraging people to fit in without questioning any potential risks of the status quo.
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It may look like a microwave oven, but it's
actually a typical color TV of the 1960s! |
Replete with the most popular new technology at the time,
color television (the figures in the commercial literally pop out of the man's television set to bring him the key to their onscreen happiness--a box of Newport cigarettes), the man's house looks just like the inside of suburban homes of all middle-class families of the 1960s. Any American adult at the time could have immediately imagined himself in the man's place, embracing the comforts of a nice cigarette in front of his unassuming, very normal television set.
First, of course it's great that you noticed the traditional aura of the commercial. But it is equally impressive that you note that traditional aura as an intentional selling point. That idea that cigarette marketing capitalized on mainstream America's reticence re the lifestyles of baby boomer liberals is really quite neat. How do you compare this to the message in your contemporary ad? The difference is really drastic, right?
ReplyDeleteI found it really interesting how you pointed out the dichotomy between the generations. I also appreciate how you are able to point out the way the ad manages to appeal to both the youth and the older generation at once. I think it is similar to the way the modern ad is able to scare smokers of all ages.
ReplyDeleteAre you paying more than $5 per pack of cigs? I'm buying my cigs from Duty Free Depot and I'm saving over 60%.
ReplyDelete