2008-03-14

1943 Camel Cigarette Ads

Camel Cigarette Ad - SUBMARINE PATROL
Camel Cigarette Ad - SUBMARINE PATROL
THEY’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES First in the Service The favorite cigarette with men in the Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guards is Camel.

Camel Cigarette Ad - US ARMY Fighting Engineers
Camel Cigarette Ad - US ARMY Fighting Engineers
CAMELS SURE STAND THE TEST OF STEADY SMOKING! THAT SWELL FLAVOR ALWAYS HOLDS UP AND THEY’RE EXTRA MILD! CAMELS TASTE SO MUCH MORE FLAVOR AND THEY’RE SO EASY ON MY THROAT!

1940 Camel Ad-BOB SWANSON Midget Racer Car

1940 Camel Cigarettes Ads
Slow-burning Camels give the extras... extra MILDNESS extra COOLNESS extra FLAVOR extra SMOKING CAMELS- the cigarette ofCostlier Tobaccos

1963 Gary Gould Fisherman Camel Cigarette Ad

1963 Gary Gould Fisherman - Camel Cigarette Ads
CAMEL EVERY INCH A REAL SMOKE! There’s no cigarette like a Camel. Its taste is distinctive. Alert. All there. You’ll find Camel’s got swagger – yet it’s smooth. Get the clean-cut taste of rich tobaccos. Get with Camel. Every inch a real smoke…comfortably smooth too! The best tobacco makes the best smoke

1989 Camel Cigarette Ads

Joe Camel In Tux Camel Cigarette Submarine Ads
Joe Camel In Tux Camel Cigarette Submarine Ad
Smooth character SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking by pregnant women may result in Fatal Injury. Premature Birth. And Low Birth Weight.

JOE CAMEL RACE CAR DRIVER CIGARETTES LG COLOR AD
JOE CAMEL RACE CAR DRIVER CIGARETTES LG COLOR AD
Smooth character. SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May complicate Pregnancy.

Joe Camel Smooth Character Casino Ad
Joe Camel Smooth Character Casino Ad
Smooth character. SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.

Joe Camel Smooth Character Pool Table Ad
Joe Camel Smooth Character Pool Table Ad
Smooth character. SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.

1949 Camel Cigarettes Ads

Camel Cigarette - No Throat Irritation Ad
Camel Cigarette - No Throat Irritation Ad
30-DAY TEST REVEALED NOT ONE SINGLE CASE OF THROAT IRRITATION due to smoking CAMELS!

Camel Cigarette - Fred Astaire
Camel Cigarette - Fred Astaire
NOTED THROAT SPECIALIST REPORT ON 30-Day Test of Camel Smokers… Not one single case of throat irritation due to smoking CAMELS! “Camels agree with my throat!”

Teens Against Tobacco Use group forms

Camel Cigarettes Ads
A group of teens from Dassel-Cokato High School are urging the Dassel City Council to prohibit smoking in its parks and recreational areas. Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) is a school-based program ?dedicated to tobacco and second-hand smoke prevention,? according to a recent press release. The group is lead by Brooks Helget, a DC health teacher, along with Lisa Hicks-Ewald, a public health education coordinator for Meeker County, and Joel Torkelson from Wright County Public Health. The Power Point presentation to the Dassel City Council Monday night outlined the group?s goals and action plan, but the council declined making any decisions that evening. ?We will continue to build community support. We have a lot of support for it, we just have to make it visible to the council members,? Hicks-Ewald explained. ?TATU?s goal is to demonstrate to youth that tobacco use is not a part of a healthy lifestyle. We believe that a tobacco-free parks policy in our communities can play a part in reducing youth tobacco use, which will eventually save lives,? student Preston Johnson said at Monday?s council meeting. Shelly Saksa added, ?Cities also can set a norm that tobacco use and second-hand smoke just don?t belong in park and recreation areas where children play and where the community goes to improve their fitness or enjoy nature.? TATU?s goals include: ? Make a difference in communities. ?Organize tobacco education programs. ? Educate middle school students through a tobacco prevention curriculum. ? Make the community a healthier place to live. ?It?s about young people being exposed to tobacco use and preventing it among them,? Hicks said. Last October, TATU cleaned up Dassel parks picking up cigarette butts and in November it held a petition drive at the high school for smoke-free parks in Dassel during chemical health week which received 500 signatures from middle school and high school students and teachers. The policy would prohibit tobacco use on any city-owned park, recreation area, trail, beach, athletic field, playground, and any other open space excluding streets and sidewalks. TATU?s reasoning for such a policy is to provide an opportunity to change community norms around tobacco use, help reduce youth tobacco use, promote community wellness, policies support local organizations who want to promote healthy lifestyles, and cigarette butts cause litter. Also, most school districts prohibit tobacco use on their grounds, so on March 16 the school board supported the group?s efforts in making Dassel parks smoke-free. ?...This policy would complement the school district?s existing tobacco-free grounds policy. A city?s tobacco-free parks policy would provide a consistent policy for school-based activities,? according to Superintendent Don Hainlen. According to TATU, enforcement would be peer enforced and notification would be given to the public before it would go into effect. A similar law is in effect in 75 cities across Minnesota, including Willmar, St. Cloud and Alexandria. After the information was presented to the council, Mayor Ava Flachmeyer decided to take no action at that time saying, ?It’s the people’s right to smoke... where are they supposed to smoke?? Hicks disagreed, ?There is no law protecting the rights of smokers.? City Administrator Myles McGrath was asked to contact a number of the cities that have adopted the policy and put together a draft of their own and present it at a later date. TATU is funded through a Tobacco-Free Community Grant given to Meeker County Public Health and was issued by the Minnesota Department of Health.

PERFECT COMPANIONSHIP...CAMELS (1929-1930)

Camel Cigarettes
Camel was the first of the modern 'American Blend' cigarettes when introduced in 1913. The revolutionary new taste made Camel an immediate best seller, despite an initial magazine advertising campaign that was rather ho-hum in appearance. These early magazine ads used little graphics, but featured text touting the new brand's tobacco blend. Posters and roadside billboards however, did feature colorful graphics picturing desert landscapes, or successful looking businessmen. It wasn't until 1925 that women began to appear in Camel advertising.

CAMEL HISTORY PACKS (1993)

Camel Cigarettes
Camel reproduction posters, a table-lighter and ashtray, and life-size floor displays of the sailor and pin-up, were for sale as a mail-in offer.

CAMEL HISTORY PACKS

Camel Cigarettes Pack
Camel Cigarettes reproduction posters, a table-lighter and ashtray, and life-size floor displays of the sailor and pin-up, were for sale as a mail-in offer. Camel Cigarettes is a popular sigarets brand which was introduced by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (RJR) in 1913. Camel Cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish and American tobacco. Camel Cigarettes were blended in a way that made them easier to smoke, in comparison to other much harsher popular cigaretts brands at the time of its debut on the tobacco market. They were also promoted by a careful teaser advertising, which merely stated that "the Camels are coming". At the beginning, the most famous variety of Camel Cigarettes was the simple pack of the regular, unfiltered variety, which is much too harsh for today's smokers. Camel regular sigarettes became very popular thanks to famous actor Humphrey Bogart who popularized Camel Cigarettes brand in the “Casablanca” film. It also became well-know through news broadcaster Edward Murrow, who smoked up to four packs of Camel regulars per day, actually using aCamel Cigarettes as his trademark. The reverse side of most packs or boxes of Camel Cigarettes display the following text: “Turkish tobacco is the world's smoothest, most aromatic leaf. Blending it with more robust domestic tobaccos is the secret to Camel's distinctive flavor and world-class smoothness.” Or alternatively can be seen displaying the following text (later removed from some packets with the introduction of warning messages): "Camel Cigarettes, a premium blend of the finest quality tobaccos, provides genuine smoking pleasure“. In 2005, Camel Cigarettes made new changes to the Turkish flavors by inserting the Camel Cigarettes title on the rolling paper and also changing the filter color and design. Also, this year the blend called "Turkish Silver", a light version of either the Turkish Gold or Royal varieties became available. Even when smoked, the text on the paper is often still visible on the ashes. The dromedary (Arabian Camel) it is used as the brand’s logo.

Camel Cigarettes


Camel with his aggressive advertising to sell cigarettes. To determine changes in the design of Camel Cigarettes in the period surrounding the "Smooth Character" advertising campaign and to assess the impact of these changes on youth smoking. Internal documents made available through the document website maintained by RJ Reynolds, manufacturer of Camel Cigarettes. Product design research led to the introduction of redesigned Camel Cigarettes targeted to younger adult males coinciding with the "Smooth Character" campaign. Further refinements in Camel Cigarettes during the following five year period continued to emphasis the smoothness of the cigarette, utilizing additives and blends which reduced throat irritation but increased or retained nicotine impact. Industry competition for market share among younger adult smokers may have contributed to the reversal of a decline in youth smoking rates during the late 1980s through development of products which were more appealing to youth smokers and which aided in initiation by reducing harshness and irritation. Smoke Camel Cigarettes.

Camel Cigarettes Ads


Camel is a popular sigarets brand which was introduced by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (RJR) in 1913. Camel Cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish and American tobacco. Camel Cigarettes were blended in a way that made them easier to smoke, in comparison to other much harsher popular cigaretts brands at the time of its debut on the tobacco market. They were also promoted by a careful teaser advertising, which merely stated that "the Camels are coming". At the beginning, the most famous variety of Camel Cigarettes was the simple pack of the regular, unfiltered variety, which is much too harsh for today's smokers. Camel regular sigarettes became very popular thanks to famous actor Humphrey Bogart who popularized Camel brand in the “Casablanca” film. It also became well-know through news broadcaster Edward Murrow, who smoked up to four packs of Camel regulars per day, actually using a Camel cigarette as his trademark. The reverse side of most packs or boxes of Camel cigarets display the following text: “Turkish tobacco is the world's smoothest, most aromatic leaf. Blending it with more robust domestic tobaccos is the secret to Camel's distinctive flavor and world-class smoothness.” Or alternatively can be seen displaying the following text (later removed from some packets with the introduction of warning messages): “Camel, a premium blend of the finest quality tobaccos, provides genuine smoking pleasure“. In 2005, Camel Cigarettes made new changes to the Turkish flavors by inserting the Camel title on the rolling paper and also changing the filter color and design. Also, this year the blend called "Turkish Silver", a light version of either the Turkish Gold or Royal varieties became available. Even when smoked, the text on the paper is often still visible on the ashes. The dromedary (Arabian Camel) it is used as the brand’s logo.



The famous blend of Turkish and United States tobacco – ladies and gentlemen, let us introduce Camel. This R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarettes brand hit the market in 1913 and quickly became very popular. Camel actually was one of the few brands to survive the World War Two and by the end of it has only strengthened its market position. The appearance of the Camel Cigarettes brand was supported by a very innovative (consider the historical period) advertising campaign. These new cigarettes were promoted with the help of special “teasers” who announced that “the Camels were coming”. A circus Camel Cigarettes named “Old Joe" was another promotional element. The animal was lead through various American towns and served as a point of free cigarettes distribution. "Old Joe" was later used as the prototype to design the Camel Cigarettes on the package. For many years the brand's advertising campaigns were supported by the "I'd walk a mile for a Camel!" slogan. The soft pack of the regular unfiltered cigarettes was the most famous variety of the brand product line. A starring news broadcaster, Edward R. Murrow smoked as many as four packs of Camel Cigarettes regulars every day, adding heavily to the brand’s popularity. Many celebrities of that time were also involved into this "subliminal" advertising campaign. It turned out to be very successful as the Camel regulars’ sales have really hit the sky limits. Joe Camel is a famous mascot of the Camel Cigarettes brand and was introduced in 1987. The American Medical Association tried to make RJR stop the Joe Camel Cigarettes advertising campaign which the company refused. However, after the repeating appeals in 1993 and 1994 and the community shocking reports of children being greatly aware of this cigarette brand mascot, RJR terminated the Joe Camel campaign in 1997. Instead, a more adult oriented campaign was launched to appeal to the desires and dreams of young and successful people.

1920 Before Joe Camel Cigarettes

Camel Cigarettes - Sales Ads
Camel Cigarettes -Sales ad
In other words Camels supply everything you hoped for in cigarettes! Camel Cigarettes Your taste will prove that in quality, flavor, fragrance and mellowness Camels give you a real ideal of how delightful a cigarette can be! You will greatly prefer Camels expert blend of choice Turkish and choice Domestic tobaccos to either kind of tobacco smoked straight. Camels hand out satisfaction you never before get from a cigarette. They have a wonderful smooth satisfying mildness yet that desirable body is all there! And, Camels do not tire your taste! Another feature about Camels — they leave no unpleasant, cigaretty aftertaste or unpleasant cigaretty odor. Camel’s superiority is best proved by comparing them with any cigarette in the world at any price.

1951 Camel Cigarettes Ads

Camel Cigarettes Ads - PAUL WILCOX Army Flight Trainer San Diego
Camel Cigarettes Ad - PAUL WILCOX Army Flight Trainer San Diego
The smoke of slower-burning Camels gives you 28% LESS NICOTINE

Camel Cigarette Ad - BUDDY ROGERS
Camel Cigarette Ad - BUDDY ROGERS
Why did you change to Camels, Buddy Rogers? I MADE THE DIFFERENT MILDNESS TESTS, NO OTHER CIGARETTE HAS CAMEL'S RICH FLAVOR...AND THEY AGREE WITH MY THROAT! -Buddy Rogers Not one single case of throat irritation due to smoking CAMELS CAMEL LEADS ALL OTHER BRANDS BY BILLIONS!

1934 Camel Cigarettes Ads



Camel Cigarettes Ad - JOSEPH VINCE Fencing Champion
How Are Your Nerves? Watch for such signs “landed nerves” on these – ring-twirling, nail-biting, and jumping at sudden receiver, finger-twiddling — frowning. Check up on yourself now. Go over your eating habits carefully—your sleeping—your recreation. And for your cigarettes—turn in Camels. Camels are made from finer, MORE EXPENSIVE TOBACCOS than any other popular brand of cigarettes. Millions of smokers have found that they can enjoy Camels freely—smoke more than formerly—and that this mild, rich-tasting cigarette never jungles the nerves! CAMEL’S COSTLIER TOBACCOS NEVER GET ON YOUR NERVES…NEVER TIRE YOUR TASTE


Camel Cigarettes Ad - REX BEACH Writer Fishing
Energy used up—and then he smoked a Camel! REX BEACH EXPLAINS How to get back vim and energy when “Played Out” “Get a LIFT with a Camel!” CAMEL’S Costlier Tobaccos never get on your Nerves


Camel Cigarettes Ad - MISS ALICE Mary BYRD
MISS ALICE AND MISS MARY BYRD BOTH SMOKE CAMELS…BUT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS

1962 Camel Ad-RON MUSSON Speedboat Racer

Camel Cigarettes
CAMEL EVERY INCH A REAL SMOKE! There’s no cigarette like a Carmel. Its taste is distinctive. Alert. All there. You’ll find Camels got swagger – yet it’s smooth. Get the clean-cut taste of rich tobaccos. Get with Camel. Every inch a real smoke. ….comfortably smooth, too! The best tobacco makes the best smoke

1948 Camel Cigarettes Ads


CAMEL Ad -Daring BETTY SKELTON Precision Flying
CAMEL Ad-Daring BETTY SKELTON Precision Flying
MORE PEOPLE ARE SMOKING CAMELS THAN EVER BEFORE!!

Camel Ads - Motorcycle Climbing Champ CLEM MURDAUGH
Camel Ads - Motorcycle Climbing Champ CLEM MURDAUGH
WORLD'S ROUGHEST RIDE CAMELS ARE THE CHOICE OF EXPERIENCE WITH ME! THEY'RE FULL FLAVORED, MILD, COOL SMOKING... MORE PEOPLE ARE SMOKING CAMELS THAN EVER BEFORE

CAMEL Ads - Steeple - Jack GEORGE JOYCE Danger Unltd
CAMEL Ad-Steeple-Jack GEORGE JOYCE Danger Unltd.
DANGER UNLIMITED "I'VE LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE IN SMOKING SEVERAL DIFFERENT BRANDS THERES NO CIGARETTE LIKE A CAMEL!" -GEORGE JOYCE

Camel Cigarette Ads - Diving Star JIM FAIRBROTHER
Camel Cigarette Ads - Diving Star JIM FAIRBROTHER
MORE PEOPLE ARE SMOKING CAMELS THAN EVER BEFORE MORE DOCTORS SMOKE CAMELS THAN ANY OTHER CIGARETTE

CAMEL Cigarette Ads - NANCE STILLEY Water Skiing
CAMEL Cigarette Ad-NANCE STILLEY Water Skiing
THE “T-ZONE” T for Tastse… T for Throat… Your final proving ground for any cigarette MORE PEOPLE ARE SMOKING CAMELS THAN EVER BEFORE

Camel Cigarettes USA Ads Last world war



"Why do I smoke Camels? Because I honestly like their taste better than any of the other cigarettes," says Miss Gould. "Like most of the girls I know, I prefer a mild cigarette -- that's another reason I am devoted to Camels. Besides, I see no reason for letting cigarettes make you nervous -- Camels never make me edgy or jumpy. "And I really believe you could smoke Camels forever and ever and not get tired of their fine, smooth flavor."

"Here's the most important cigarette improvement in 25 years - streamlined smoking. It's Pall Mall - a cigarette deliberately designed for better smoking! Pall Mall is over 20 percent longer than the old-style cigarette. And this additional length is important. Because it travels the smoke further - the smoke reaches you cooler. Because it filters the smoke through more tobacco - the smoke is definitely milder. Prove it! Yourself, try Pall Mall critically."

Soldier 1: Some driving mister - how do you feel? Dewey: Right now I feel for a CAMEL! Soldier 2: That's the old Army spirit. Camel's the smoke with us. Dewey: Give me Camels every time. They're EXTRA MILD and they've really got the flavor that hits the spot. 'I'd walk a mile for a Camel any day!

"Science has pointed out that Camels are definitely slower-burning. That means a smoke with more mildness, more coolness, and more flavor. Now - Science confirms another important advantage of slower burning. Less nicotine - in the smoke! 28% less than the average! Light up a Camel... a s-l-o-w burning Camel... and smoke out the facts for yourself. The smoke's the thing!"

1990 Camel Cigarette Ads


Camel Cigarette Joe Camel Motorcycle Ad
CAMEL Smooth Character SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and may complicate Pregnancy.


Joe Camel It's For You! Phone Cigarette Ad
“It’s for you.” SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and may complicate Pregnancy.


Joe Camel Premier of Smooth 9-Page Ad
THE PREMIER OF Smooth Character of the Year CAMEL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNI


Joe Camel Premier of Smooth 9-Page Ad2
JOE’S SMOOTH PHILOSOPHY On TIMING: “The early bird usually falls asleep before the party starts.” On MONEY: “A penny saved is another one you cant get rid of that hangs around in your pocket gathering line and eventually makes a hole, so you lose it anyway.” On TRAVEL: “When all possible, travel first class: If no camels are available, however, other forms of transportation may be used.” On LIFE: “Don’t ask for whom the bell talks--” On DATING: “When all else fails, pick up a pack of Camels.” On IN-LAWS: “The only difference between in-laws and outlaws is that outlaws are wanted.” SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Quitting Smoking now greatly produces serious risks to Your Health.


Joe Camel Premier of Smooth 9-Page Ad3
MONUMENTALLY SMOOTH


Joe Camel Premier of Smooth 9-Page Ad4
Midnight at the Oasis SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Quitting Smoking now greatly produces serious risks to Your Health.


Joe Camel Sailing Sailboat Cigarette Ad
CAMEL SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and may complicate Pregnancy.

Joe Camel Smooth Character Fishing Fish Ad
CAMEL SMOOTH CHARACTER SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and may complicate Pregnancy


Joe Camel Smooth Rider Dirt Bike Racing 2-Page Ad
SMOOTH RIDER SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and may complicate Pregnancy.

Joe Camel Ultra Lights Cigarette 2-Pg Ad
CAMEL NEW ULTRA LIGHTS SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Quitting Smoking now greatly produces serious risks to Your Health.

2008-03-13

Camel Singer


A powerfully thematic ad that stands out in my mind is when Joe Cool Camel is placed on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Joe is dressed head to toe in biker gear wearing a traditional motorcycle jacket, T-shirt, jeans and black sunglasses. While posing in this tough guy gear, Joe is sitting on the bike smoking a slick cigarette for pure rebellious enjoyment, symbolizing the epitome of a bad boy image. This ad is strategically enduring to teens in that again, they look up to icons that look tough, self-confident, and rebellious because they want to be what that image represents. Camel Cigarettes target this insecurity of teens and in the process they reel them in to smoke cigarettes. Rock and Roll music is most popular among the teenage group. They admire bands for their rough image, style and music. R.J. Reynolds focuses on this phenomenon by creating an ad where Joe Camel features as a rock star. He is place on stage in the spotlight, smoking a cigarette while playing the guitar. The fans are faded in the background, cheering this stud-camel on for his great music. This ad is appealing to the teenage audience because it displays Joe Camel as an icon, a role model that fans adore from their assigned seats at a concert hall. When teens observe this ad, perhaps they will think if the image of Joe Camel looks cool smoking on stage, than they will look cool if they do it too.

Camel sexy


The camel in the logo is of the dromedary variety. In other languages than English, a distinction is made between camels and dromedaries, so the name and image don't coincide. The name was chosen because in the early 20th century travels to far away places were in vogue and a camel symbolised that nicely. The package artwork was used by rock band Camel for their second album Mirage (including the package sides to make for a square image). The Camel pack is featured prominently in Tom Robbins novel Still Life with Woodpecker, billed as "a love story that happens inside a pack of cigarettes."

Camel Biliard


Camel is a brand of cigarettes introduced by U.S. company R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (RJR) in 1913. Camels contain a blend of Turkish and United States tobacco. Camel cigarettes were blended to be considerably easier to smoke in contrast to the much harsher brands popular at the time of its introduction. In addition, they were promoted, prior to official release, by a careful advertising campaign that included "teasers" which merely stated that "the Camels are coming." This marketing style was, in fact, a prototype for attempts to sway public opinion that coincided with the United States' entry into the First World War. Another promotion strategy was the use of a Circus camel, 'Old Joe', which was driven through town and used to distribute free cigarettes. Old Joe was used as the model for the camel on the package. The brand's catch-phrase slogan, used for decades, was, "I'd walk a mile for a Camel!" The most famous variety of Camel cigarettes was the soft pack of the regular, unfiltered variety. Camel regulars achieved the zenith of their popularity through personalities such as news broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, who smoked up to four packs of Camel regulars per day, in effect using a Camel cigarette as his trademark. In late 1987, RJR created Joe Camel as the mascot for the brand. In 1991, the American Medical Association published a report stating that 5- and 6-year olds could more easily recognize Joe Camel than Mickey Mouse, Fred Flintstone, Bugs Bunny or even Barbie. This led the association to ask RJR to pull the Joe Camel campaign. RJR declined, but further appeals followed in 1993 and 1994. On July 10, 1997, the Joe Camel campaign was retired and replaced with a somewhat more adult campaign which appealed to the desires of twenty-somethings to meet or as the case may be, actually be beautiful and exotic women (desires they nonetheless share with teenagers) in 1930s attire and themes. In 2005, Camel instigated new changes to the Turkish flavors by adding the name on the cigarette paper and changing the filter color and design. A blend called "Turkish Silver", a light version of either the Turkish Gold or Royal varieties, also became available that year. When smoked, the text on the paper is often still visible on the ashes. Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the city where R.J.R. was founded, was nicknamed "Camel City" at one time because of the brand's popularity. However, this name is passing out of usage among locals.

Camel Cigarettes Ads

Camel Cigarettes
Here we have a pair of specially commissioned Camel packs. They belong ôo a set of seven, four of which are illustrated in this section (can readers help the author to obtain copies of the other three?). From top to bottom (no pun intended) one can note that the 'hidden' sexual theme associated with Camel Cigarettes is still apparent. The two packs illustrated above appear to be simple variations on the standard Camel pack. This has been reputed to contain a manikin with an erection and various other images. For the manikin, see the Camel's foreleg. This assertion has been discounted a number of times by R.J.Reynolds and others associated with the company. However, it is rather strange that this figure can still be discerned after many years of pack alterations. If it was not intended to be there, and some people find it offensive, then it need not be there. In fact if one views the book Camel cigarette collectibles by Douglas Congdon-Martin, the figure that isn't supposed to exist has become slightly more obvious over the years, rather than less so. On the right is the Camel Filters Hard Pack (as sold in Mexico, 2000). Note that the colouring is markedly different from the illustration on the left (and other versions of the cigarette pack). Yet all show, to some degree or other the manikin and his 'penis'. The pack, in fact, highlights the appendage against a lighter background. Additionally, the author has an ad produced around the same time Camel Cigarettes first appeared. This also would seem to contain embedded elements. The brand is not Camel but the use of the same type of embedding technique early this century would indicate general knowledge within ad companies producing ads for the tobacco industry at this time. Additionally one might note that the American artist Winslow Homer was rather renowned for embedding images in his work (see Winston Homer, the Obtuse Bard). His work may have been the inspiration for some interesting ads during this early period of cigarette advertising.
The third pack shows the Camel logo made up from rather fluffy clouds. Embedded in the clouds are the letters S E X.

2008-03-12

Camel Hopes Design Change Will Pack A Lot Of Punch

At a time when the cigarette industry is under greater scrutiny than ever, R.J. Reynolds is drawing on its limited arsenal to attempt to boost sales.

Last week, RJR gave its iconic Camel brand its first major package redo in 90 years and is adding more premium tobacco to all base brand flavors except menthol. The move is a bold one in a category where such mainstay cigarette brands have changed little since their debuts.

Separately, Camel is testing Camel Crush. The product, described as a "menthol-on-demand cigarette," is a Camel Light cigarette with a capsule in the filter containing menthol. A smoker squeezes the filter to break the capsule. They hear a click and know that the gelatin capsule has broken to release the menthol inside. The smoker can customize the smoke when they first light up, just before they finish or whenever. Tag for supporting marketing will be: "Squeeze. Click. Change."

Brian Stebbins, senior business unit director at R.J. Reynolds, Winston-Salem, N.C., said the packaging change was made because, "As we understand consumers better, every product evolves with refinements here and there. Yet when you look at this category, the cigarette business has changed nothing. [Cigarette] products are rarely reformulated.

For the upgrade, RJR drew on surveys of smokers who said they liked the new packaging, a more contemporary look that keeps recognizable icons of the company's biggest brand.

Scott Lucas, executive director at Interbrand, Cincinnati, said because of limited marketing avenues, cigarette companies have to step it up with their packaging.

"Packaging is really the front line for these guys when once they were the pioneers of advertising," he said. "Now they have to pioneer this front line."

Stebbins, however, said he was aware of the risk of changing up packaging: "When you attempt to make something better, you first and foremost have to make sure that the [consumer] who buys your product everyday already sees the difference in your brand and appreciates it."

The efforts come as sales of the full-flavored, filtered Camel have been flat for two years. But thanks to extensions like female-skewing No. 9, Signature and Camel Wides, Camel overall ended last year with 7.1% market share versus 6.6% in 2006, per the Maxwell Report, Richmond, Va.

With the relaunch, RJR is discontinuing nine slow sellers, leaving Camel with 26 SKUs.

Camel Filter 99 and Light 99 will succeed some of those products. That could help profit margins; they are slightly shorter cigarettes priced the same as a regular stick.

Trading smokes for snus may be a safer bet


In the tobacco family, chew and dip are considered the country cousins. When they visit, a murky cup of tobacco juice soon follows.

So it may be a surprise to learn of the Swedish relatives. A neater smokeless tobacco that comes in a small tea bag and doesn't require spitting, tobacco companies say. It arrived in local Sheetz stations last summer. Its name is snus.

Like all American tobacco, snus (pronounced "snoose") carries a warning -- "may cause mouth cancer" or "not a safe alternative to cigarettes." It's a reminder of the hazards linked to tobacco, from stained teeth to terminal illness.

Except researchers say that snus is a safer choice than cigarettes. Replacing smokes with this Swedish export, they claim, reduces the health risks of lighting up.

"In an ideal world, every smoker would just simply quit using tobacco," said Dr. Brad Rodu, a professor of medicine at the University of Louisville who has studied smokeless tobacco for the past 15 years. But that goal is often too hard, he said, and noted just a 5 percent success rate among the 30 million or so American smokers who try to quit each year.

Rodu, whose work was partly funded by unrestricted grants from two smokeless tobacco companies, wants smokers to know their options for "harm reduction" -- beyond high-priced drug store options such as nicotine gum and patches.

So, snus. It means "snuff" in its native Sweden, a country that supporters point to as evidence that snus is safer tobacco.

Swedes consume the majority of their tobacco as snus and tobacco-related deaths there are among the lowest in the developed world, a pair of researchers at Australia's University of Queensland wrote in the journal PLoS Medicine in July.

Snus-ers face a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than smokers, they reported. And snus, which is pasteurized, is much lower in nitrosamines -- the main cancer-causing agents in smokeless tobacco -- than more popular forms of chew and dip used in the United States, which are fermented.

"We think it would be good public health policy to encourage inveterate smokers to adopt less harmful ways of using nicotine," the Australian researchers, Coral Gartner and Wayne Hall, concluded.

But "this is a tobacco product. There is no safe tobacco product," said David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., maker of the Camel brand snus that has been sold in Sheetz gas stations since July.

Snus critics worry that Sweden's results won't translate to other countries. They point out that Camel markets snus to be used along with cigarettes, not as a replacement, with slogans such as "When you can't smoke, snus."

"There is no suggestion of stopping smoking," Simon Chapman and Becky Freeman of the University of Sydney wrote in a response to their colleagues in Queensland.

In February, a European Union health panel ruled that snus hasn't been proved to help people quit smoking. The American Cancer Society takes that stance, too. Concerns about the hazards of smokeless tobacco, which include cancer of the mouth, have led to a ban on snus in Australia and the EU, except Sweden.

Snus hasn't appeared at downtown Roanoke's Milan Tobacconists, where boxes of cigars and pipes line the shelves. But last week, co-owner David Meyer considered a tin of snus that a reporter brought by.

"I don't think anti-smokers will say, 'Oh yeah, this is a great product,' " Meyer said. But he added, "From a logical standpoint, if you're not inhaling smoke into your lungs, you're better off."

Camel Cigarette Phone Probably Won't Fool Anyone


If you are one of the 598 landline-only Giz readers, you should probably hide your embarrassing lack of technology. This US$49 touchtone phone disguises your relic as a pack of death sticks. It looks accurate, but your bluff will probably be called when people notice that it's connected to the wall or remember you don't actually smoke. And that you're talking to your cigarettes.