The Joe Camel advertising campaign was created by Camel Cigarettes in 1987, the goal of these adverts was to create a culture that was synonymous with the Camel brand. The character was wildly successful, the cigarette company printed his face on more than just their cartons such as lighters, clothing, furniture, and other trinkets. The persona of Joe Camel encapsulated lavish living, his posters portrayed him as a young man with money, women, success and power; all while smoking his trademark Camel Cigarette. The campaign used linguistic and visual symbols to appeal to men across the country, however, because Joe Camel commodified cool; his persona also appealed to children. Thus, the Camel company was littered with controversy. Linguistically,
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Consumers become attached to products and programs that allow them to have a temporary escape from their reality, the reason that the character is so popular is the same reason that films based on gangsters and wealthy men are so popular. They provide a glimpse into the life that the average person wishes they could live, most men would like to have a nice car, attractive women, and expensive clothing, but all too often it is simply impossible for them to attain these things. Although the campaign was targeted at an older demographic, the “coolness” of Joe Camel lead to him being extremely popular with children. According to Brody (1991) “One group of researchers said their study showed that since the start of the Old Joe campaign three years ago, the brand had become the choice of… one-third of smokers under the age of 18. Before the campaign began… less than 1 percent of those under 18 smoked Camels (The New York Times). Children have a desire to seem older than they are, they perceive themselves as unequal to adults and want the same freedom of choice that their parents display. Thus, the same things that are considered cool by adults are even more sought after by children. Another reason Joe Camel was so appealing to children is because he is a cartoon, if Camel had hired an attractive media figure to play the role of Joe Camel children could
Consumers become attached to products and programs that allow them to have a temporary escape from their reality, the reason that the character is so popular is the same reason that films based on gangsters and wealthy men are so popular. They provide a glimpse into the life that the average person wishes they could live, most men would like to have a nice car, attractive women, and expensive clothing, but all too often it is simply impossible for them to attain these things. Although the campaign was targeted at an older demographic, the “coolness” of Joe Camel lead to him being extremely popular with children. According to Brody (1991) “One group of researchers said their study showed that since the start of the Old Joe campaign three years ago, the brand had become the choice of… one-third of smokers under the age of 18. Before the campaign began… less than 1 percent of those under 18 smoked Camels (The New York Times). Children have a desire to seem older than they are, they perceive themselves as unequal to adults and want the same freedom of choice that their parents display. Thus, the same things that are considered cool by adults are even more sought after by children. Another reason Joe Camel was so appealing to children is because he is a cartoon, if Camel had hired an attractive media figure to play the role of Joe Camel children could