Tobacco ads have been banned from television for some time now to prevent marketing to underage adolescents. And tobacco companies agreed not to target kids as part of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with state attorneys general. But apparently that doesn’t stop Mr. Joe Camel from underhandedly taking aim at impressionable youth.
Camel released No. 9 cigarettes in 2007. Magazine ads for the cigarette line feature a pink and black backdrop with pretty little roses drawn on it along with the words light and luscious. The ads ran in magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Reps for the cigarette company claim that ads were catering to an adult demographic, noting that 85% of the magazines’ readers are over 18. But the ad layout and promotional giveaways–which included berry-flavored lip balm, cellphone jewelry, purses and wristbands–from the No. 9 line speak for themselves. A study of 1,036 adolescents published online this month in Pediatrics shows that the ads did indeed spark the interest of girls age 12-16. In 2008, 22% of teenage girls listed Camel as their favorite cigarette ad. That’s twice the number who listed Camel as their favorite in four earlier interviews taken for the study. There was no major change in boys’ preferences. Overall, nearly half of girls could name a favorite cigarette ad, suggesting that ads are still reaching children, despite the marketing ban.
Experts say that being able to remember a tobacco ad shows that kids are taking an interest in cigarettes. The same Pediatrics study shows that non-smoking teens who can name a favorite ad are 50% more likely to begin smoking than other kids. The American Cancer Society says that ads don’t need to include cartoon characters to appeal to young people. In fact, ads that depict smoking as fashionable and grown-up actually make it more attractive to teens. About 80% of smokers take up the habit before age 18.
