*Garber, Megan, The Troubling Sexism of 1970s Ad Campaigns*

The Idea of this advertisement is the use of pleasure. The central theme can be influential in marketing because it taps into a human’s desire. The focus of comparing smoking to pleasure may seek to create positive and emotional distress in the minds of the audience which can potentially influence them and change their minds and behaviors towards smoking which is most definitely the purpose of this advertisement. The use of pleasure is the main theme of this advertisement.  This idea can be influential Adding on, the contrast between smoking and sex in the advertisement could also be seen as an attempt to call to mind feelings, making it a provocative advertisement of emotional agitation and excitement, inforcing the perceived pleasure associated with smoking. This rhetorical analysis examines the convincing strategies used in a sexual commercial by closely examining visual and verbal components. This will help to illuminate the subtleties of the campaign’s design and its effect on the target audience.

Visual Elements play a huge role in this campaign because because it is a sexual advertisement they often rely on visually compelling images that can evoke desires and feelings. For example, the picture in the advertisement shows a male blowing into a female’s face with the caption “Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere” which gives the audience more confusion. With plenty of space for interpretation, the intentional use of humorous and provocative language seeks to draw interest and stimulate the audience’s emotions. Undoubtedly, the advertisement depicted a male blowing in a lady’s face rather than a woman blowing in another woman’s. This implies that smoking is a stereotypically male behavior that increases a man’s attraction to women, endorsing heterosexism and heterosexual partnerships.

The more you keep looking at the advertisement the more it starts to reveal, the analysis will look at how gender roles and power relationships are portrayed in the commercial. The underlying signals about dominance, control, or consent will become clear when we look closely at the placement and representation of the male and female figures. For example, articles state that “sex sells” meaning that advertisement creators do ads like this on purpose to call out a crowd that can be easily pleased with it. “This study looked at the recall of sexual and non-sexual television advertisements embedded within programs, with or without, sexual content. It was predicted that there would be a detrimental effect of sexual program content and a beneficial effect of sexual advertisement content on the ability to recall advertisements.” This evidence explains how studies have proven whether or not viewers’ recall of commercials would be improved or worsened by the presence of sexual content in TV shows. It was anticipated that while sexual content in advertising could help viewers remember those adverts, sexual content in programs might have the opposite effect. Which comes to show how “sex does sell”. 

Another major factor of this provocative commercial is the target audience it is reaching Sexualized nicotine ads usually aim to attract a younger audience such as teenagers because it links smoking to ideas of adulthood, freedom, and defiance. This component of the analysis will look at how these commercials affect young people’s perceptions about smoking. Gender Appeals: Examining gender relations in sexualized nicotine ads will show how gender norms are either upheld or challenged. Gaining an understanding of the gendered appeals can help one better understand how smoking-related identity and desire are constructed. According to this article, it states “Cigarette advertising seems to increase teenagers’ risk of smoking by glamorizing smoking and smokers,75 and children who can recall ads related to tobacco are more likely to view smoking favorably and to become smokers.” This piece of evidence states how teenagers are impacted by cigarette advertisements, which may raise their chances of smoking. The claim suggests that teens’ perceptions of smoking may be more favorable as a result of the way they try to cover up smoking and smokers in these commercials. Moreover, it emphasizes the connection between teenagers who remember tobacco-related advertisements and a higher chance of thinking positively about smoking and later starting to smoke themselves.

This rhetorical analysis aims at the different points of view on the troubling of sexism in 1970s ad campaigns. Although many viewers wouldn’t have seen it from this perspective this paper shows how this ad can be provocative in many different ways. Sexualized nicotine commercials are made clear by this rhetorical analysis, which covers everything from the language and visuals to the intended audience dynamics and societal ramifications. We can learn more about the persuasive strategies employed and their possible effects on consumer behavior and public health views by critically analyzing the alluring tales weaved throughout these advertisements. To strike a delicate balance between the attraction of marketing and the stark facts of the health dangers linked with nicotine consumption, the junction of sensuality and smoking in advertising requires careful examination.

Self-Reflection: For our second assessment in Writing for the Sciences, our class was introduced into the topic of provocative advertisements and how they can be offensive to targeted groups. Professor Voisard assigned us the task of finding a provocative advertisement or campaign for analysis. I chose an old cigarette advertisement that was sexualizing young women. This assignment required us to critically analyze the ad’s content, messaging, and the potential impact on its audience. During the process, I learned how to understand the underlying messages in advertisements and how they can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and social norms. The advertisement I selected used sexual imagery to sell cigarettes, objectifying young women and promoting unhealthy standards. With the help of peer review, my reviewer provided feedback that helped me redirect my analysis. My peer suggested naming it “A Puff in Her Direction,” This collaborative effort improved the quality of my work and demonstrated the importance of constructive feedback in the writing process.