Camel No. 9
Britney Compton

revised analysis submitted February 12

Britney Compton

            Camel Cigarettes released their dual, slick black with colored accents, which are the company’s “unabashedly feminine cigarette,” claimed Adam Hochberg in his article Critics Fume over Marketing of 'Camel No. 9,' at the beginning of 2007.  The boxes of the cigarettes are glossy black with either bright pink or bright green (Menthe).  R.J. Reynolds’ demonstrative, new campaign, “NO. 9/NOW AVAILABLE/IN STILETTOS” appears in the Flaunt magazine, issue 88, page 45; this metaphor gives the audience the “it’s here, NOW, so take advantage” feeling.  The magazine is an avant garde magazine revealing contemporary artists, musicians, and fashion; the campaign is undeniably directed at the readers.  This use of Kairos is highly affective, for the contemporary audience; they need a contemporary looking pack of cigarettes. 

           Aiming toward the consumers’ ethos, the slick, elegant look of the box creates a sense of “If I were to smoke, I’d smoke pink cigarettes, especially since they are now available in my favorite shoe;” which is actually what I informed the crowd at a bar one night.  If a female wants to smoke, just as her favorite pair of stilettos makes her feel feminine, these cigarettes remove the negative connotation smoking brings by simply making it “pretty.”

            Placed strategically in the center is the “unabashedly feminine” box of regular NO. 9 100’s, in actual size, overlaying the Menthe box, placed on a slick, black background.  This advertisement choice plays with the audiences’ pathos. The printing in the actual size of the box allows the viewer to visualize the way the box would look in their hand.   Behind the boxes are silhouettes in muted pink is an oversized “NO 9” and in the same pink, and also grey, are of bundles of flowers that create an aesthetically pleasing afterthought that informs the consumer’s ethos that this is a pretty product, buying it will make you pretty.

Following the spurt of the flowers, along the left-hand side is two, of the same pink, lines directing the viewer to the “tar” consumption facts.  These, in little print, allow the viewer to understand the amount of tar that will be inhaled.   Grasping at the consumer’s logos, Reynolds makes the statement “Actual amount may very depending on how you smoke.”  This quote tries to imply that most likely it will be less, so logically it is okay.  Then, there is the typical Surgeon General’s Warning at the bottom, stating “Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health.”  Arguing with the consumer’s logos, quietly implying that quitting does not completely reduce risks to health, it just reduces; which causes the viewer to think, “Why not?”