Topic Worksheet

I am analyzing two cigarette advertisements, one for blu electronic cigarettes and the other being for Marlboros. The blu electronic cigarette ad came from the tabloid magazine OK! And the Marlboro ad was an older advertisement I found online that featured the infamous Marlboro Man. The Marlboro Man advertisement I found came from a print ad and it is the main reason that men smoke Marlboro cigarettes more than any other brand. The audience of OK! Magazine is predominantly females because it focuses on celebrities and fashion. The audience is also of a younger demographic because many of the ads and advice is geared towards young female adults. The Marlboro ad features a tough cowboy and therefore appeals more to an older male audience.

blu Electronic Cigarette Ad:

 -“smoke in style” logo

-blue accents on the woman’s dress, earrings,eyeshadow

-contest to win a free starter kit on Facebook

-“world’s first smart pack”

-beautiful woman dressed elegantly smoking

-18+ only

-simple layout, no colored background

-California proposition warning in small font at the very bottom

-website and retailers that supply blu cigarettes shown

-blue font to accent the blue on the package

-says blu cigarettes give you freedom

-categorizes blu cigarettes as “the ultimate accessory”

-words that come to mind are “smart” and “stylish”

http://home.honolulu.hawaii.edu/~pine/Book2/marlboro-ads.html

Marlboro Ad:

 -cowboy holding the reins while lighting up a Marlboro cigarette

-the background is blurred so the man stands out

-the man looks tough and rustic

-shirt matches the Marlboro pack

-surgeon general warning featured

-logo is large and bold in the middle of the ad

I chose the blu electronic cigarette ad because it stuck out to me while I was reading the OK! Magazine. The pretty blue color caught my eyesight and electronic cigarettes are such a new product I was interested to learn more about them. I chose the Marlboro ad because it is a classic cigarette ad that targets males. There is a striking contrast between the feminine colors and woman in the blu cigarettes ad and the masculine cowboy in the Marlboro ad. The blu ad contains a lot more text describing the cigarettes whereas the Marlboro ad only has the logo and lets the picture speak for the product. Both ads show the featured person smoking the product. The Marlboro ad is grounded in the stereotype that males want to appear tough and rugged and therefore it features a handsome male that has those qualities. The blu ad is grounded in the stereotype that females want to appear feminine and elegant and therefore blu cigarettes were created as a fashionable accessory to help women attain that desired image.