Light & Luscious

The tobacco industry is one of the largest industries in our society. Camel cigarettes is one of the most popular brand of cigarettes on the market, offering over 30 different cigarette designs and flavors. Although Camel has all these flavors, their target audience is focused primarily at the male gender. In order for them to continue to captivate their consumers and broaden their market, they designed a type of cigarette that is aiming at the other half of the tobacco consumers. Through the uses of a specific color scheme and marketing placement they have devised the perfect way to attract their costumers. The new Camel No. 9 offer a “light & luscious” taste, all wrapped up in two perfect little packages, waiting to be bought and shown off by the ladies.

Camel’s standard marketing techniques are aimed at a very specific audience of the male gender. For many years the mascot for the Camel brand was a camel name Joe Camel. Even when the mascot of Joe Camel was used he still represented this man’s man figure. This is a poor choice for such a strong industry, considering the fact that about half of all smokers are female. This ad is a change from the companies standards because its specifically targeting females. In doing this it hopes to pursued women into buying this new brand of cigarettes. It reaches its consumers through ad placement. This ad is mostly found in a magazine like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, or Vogue rather than in Men’s Health or GQ. These are all magazines that target woman, but although this ad is meant for all woman it does have a main focus on younger woman. Tobacco companies need to focus their campaigns and make logical choice because of the fact that consumers die off and others manager to quit. Not only are they loosing consumers but also because their is no longer television commercials to reach audiences (the last commercial airing in 1971 for Virginia Slims), they have to put detail into every design and explore other marketing techniques. The design of the ad is the key to targeting its female audience, to beat out the brands like Virginia Slims and Misty which focus is primarily on woman.

Through movie, television shows, magazine ads, or any other form of advertisement throughout history until recent years has glorified smoking. This is how they lure in their consumers. They are not just trying to sell a cancer stick but the way of living. The main character in movies or television would normally smoke a cigarette, by having an idolized figure smoking it makes people want to smoke as well. The majority of teenagers started smoking because they thought it was the “cool” thing to do. The media made it seem as though everyone else was doing it so to fit in they had to as well. The Marlboro Man is an iconic figure, a cowboy out on his own doing what he wants when he wants. It gives this sense of individuality, that you can become your own person if you smoke these cigarettes. Although that is what ads like this promote, what you really accomplish by buying into these products is the exact opposite. You are becoming part of the consumer society becoming just like everyone else.


This ad stands out as being very feminine to reflect the packaging of the cigarettes. The ad uses subtle choices in color use to attract the attention of its consumer. The packaging of the cigarettes uses a hot-pink fuchsia and a mint-green blue lining and text on its black case for each of its two different flavors. These bright fancy colors attract the attention of females because the idea that “pink is the new black.” These colors reflect the colors that young woman find appealing in clothing and other products so by using these colors to show case their product it makes it as though the cigarette case is an accessory to a woman’s outfit. Designing a packaging like this makes picking out a package of cigarette more than just the brand and the type of cigarette you are choosing but the style. The ad also has elegant backdrop with a pink boarder the same color as the pink in the cigarette package. The cigarette packs are surrounded by pink flowers another symbolism of feminism. These cigarettes have a tag line describing their flavor as “light and luscious.” The diction in this phrase is also aimed at woman. In our society there are several food products that are describe as “light.” By using the word “light” it is as if smoking these cigarettes are better for you to smoke than most other brands. The word “luscious” makes it seems as though these cigarettes are full of rich flavor. This also adds a sense of class to the cigarettes, in a sense it represents wealth all in the brand of cigarettes you smoke. As if a pack of cigarettes had the same representation as diamonds do.

Lung cancer next to heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. A woman has a greater chance of getting lung cancer than she does breast cancer. With lung cancer affect men and woman of all shape and size, the tobacco industry has dealt with some scrutiny over their marketing techniques and placing blame on the companies for misinforming their consumers the dangers of smoking which lead to the requirement of placing a surgeon general’s warning on ever package. In this ad even the warning is aimed at woman. It warns of the dangers of pregnant women smoking and the dangers it could cause to the baby. This ad has down to the last detail woman in mind as its consumer.

Every aspect of the ad from its placement, design, and even the Surgeon General’s Warning is speaking to the other half of the cigarette smokers that Camel otherwise has disregarded. Its hard to deny that Camel No. 9 cigarettes are specifically designed to lure in the female tobacco consumer. It’s feminine design through its color scheme of light bright colors and use of the feminine symbolic figure of flowers surrounding the packages clearly mark these products to be property of women. The “light & luscious” tag line offers a specific appeal to a classy woman. The elegance in the design and marketing of these cigarettes makes them appear to be the perfect cigarette for a lady, making her stand out from the crowd.

Zachery Holder
Laura Bennett