Ethos of 1960s Cigarette Commercials

The creator of our 1960s cigarette advertisement is obviously Newport, manufactured by the Lorillard tobacco company, which markets its product solely for the goal of monetary gain. The most important thing to note about the ethos Newport establishes in this commercial is that its position is completely one-sided. Intrinsically, the commercial presents a beautiful, happy couple on television who serve as an example of the positive outcomes of smoking Newport cigarettes.

To the average Joe lazing on his couch, the woman represents the benefits he can reap, specifically, attention from the opposite sex. The camera shots even seem to zone in on her most often, emphasizing her importance to the commercial's argument that cigarettes will bring consumers all they desire. (It is worth noting that the man watching the commercial-inside-a-commercial has a wife, but that he appreciates the attention from the Newport woman since his own is upstairs, ignoring him. He is bored and she represents a temporary fun fantasy she can help him partake in.)
Extrinsically, we know that Newport is trying to sell its audience a product, therefore its motive leads it to conveniently leave out the negative effects of smoking. Modern-day tobacco advertisements are slightly less biased, by law, anyway, since they address the other side of the argument. All tobacco advertisements since the mid-60s have been banned from television and have required a Surgeon General's warning about the harmful health effects of tobacco use. The 1960s advertisement could have mentioned these risks, refuting them by arguing that it's more important to enjoy oneself in the moment than to worry about the future. Equally, they could have chosen a comedic route, addressing the social risks of tobacco use--perhaps by revealing that smoking alienated the man's wife somewhat, although he might ultimately prove to find that quite a relief.