Cigarette Advertising Strategy

Advertising Strategies for Cigarette Consumption Cigarette advertising has been an enormous industry in the United States from the 1920s until the current day. There have been changes in the allowable content and even the media that could and can be used to place tobacco manufacturer’s products in front of the consuming public. Due to public and health care professional’s pressure, the United States government passed legislation in 1969 that would curtail the ability for tobacco manufacturer’s to advertise their product on television and radio and made health effect warnings required on cigarette packaging. Did effective advertising strategies for cigarette manufactures create an environment where cigarette consumption could continue at a profitable level for those companies even after television and radio advertisements were banned in the early 1970s?

Early Strategies

The very first tobacco manufacturer that used the image of a wholesome, all-American, wise, doctor was the American Tobacco company in the 1930s for their top brand, Lucky Strike (Gardner & Brandt, 2006). The doctor advised consumers that Lucky Strike was “less irritating” because the tobacco is “toasted” (Gardner & Brandt, 2006). The physician was an icon in American culture that was trusted to tell the truth and had the best interests of the consumer at the forefront of his mind at all