We Don’t Want Your Ads

Not that long ago smoking advertisements came under fire because they were directed at children. The most popular target was the infamous Joe Camel, a cartoon camel that critcs said was created solely to try and entice children to try Camel cigarettes. As a result of serious lobbying by anti smoking groups and parents groups smoking ads were placed under severe restrictions. Smoking advertisements or any advertising that showed anyone smoking could no longer be placed anywhere where kids might see it. Newspapers and family magazines couldn’t run ads for smoking any longer, neither could TV or radio. Pro smoking ads were banned from almost every medium. Tobacco companies were outraged but despite all the money they spent lobbying the law stood. So tobacco companies changed their strategy and started using youth oriented events like concerts to draw young people to smoking. Tobacco companies began sponsoring tours by popular music artists and holding their own special events at nightclubs where they could reach people who were likely to smoke, young adults out partying.

Does Advertising Encourage Teens To Smoke?

Well maybe, maybe not. Teen smoking rates did decline in the 1990s but rose again in starting in 2000. That could also be because of the Internet. Everything from classic smoking ads to homemade films that are easily available on the Internet for anyone to see might be influencing the rising teen smoking rate. The effects of smoking ads are not really known. Since tobacco companies are allowed to advertise in some magazines and “alternative weekly” papers that have a large teenage market it may not make much different that tobacco companies can no longer advertise on TV. Some parents groups try to pressure magazines and alternative papers to not accept advertising from tobacco companies but often time the tobacco companies premium rates and the publications need that money.

Stop Smoking Ads

Even though smoking ads are not allowed on TV, quit smoking ads are everywhere on TV. There are funny quit smoking ads and serious no smoking ads. There are ads aimed at adults and many non smoking ads aimed at teenagers trying to keep them from starting to smoke or to get them to quit if they do smoke. No smoking ads featuring celebrities are very common. Companies that make products to help people quit smoking also spend lots of money on tv ads to advertise their quit smoking products. It’s too bad that everyone who smokes won’t stop because they saw a stop smoking ad.