Proposed Advertisement Analysis

I would like to analyze the discrepancies between two advertisements for major cigarette brands; American Spirit and Pall Mall. The images are from different time periods; the Pall Mall cigarette ad is from 1953, while the American Spirit ad is a recent one featured in several mainstream magazines such as “Rolling Stone”.  Although I am unsure where the Pall Mall ad was originally featured, I imagine that it could have been posted in a popular magazine as well. I own an original copy of this advertisement, and I actually have it framed on my wall. It would probably be good to find a modern Pall Mall ad to compare the antique one to, however; Pall Mall reached its peak in the 1960’s, and is not a popular cigarette nowadays—there was no good modern advertisement that would possibly compare. The American Spirit advertisement is similar to the antique Pall Mall one in that they both use false, unsubstantiated logic in their descriptions.

The Pall Mall ad is unique in that it is more artful and makes the claim that Pall Mall cigarettes are smoother and milder. The poster depicts upper class golfers joyfully offering each other cigarettes, as well as a sophisticated looking gentleman surveying the cigarette in his hand followed by biased descriptions of the smoking experience. The font is bold and professional looking, and the red theme of the poster contrasts greatly with the black and white drawings. I also find the American Spirit advertisement to be unique in that it appeals to the modern audience by presenting their cigarettes as organic and environmentally friendly. There are images of “natural” things depicted on the poster such as renewable wind turbines and sunflowers, and the mascot of the brand (a Native American) also gives the audience a feeling of the purity and naturalness of the product. The strategies used in marketing both brands are quite different, and also reflect the values of the audience in each respective time period.