Sunday, April 8, 2007

Jo Chemo, Spoof Ad



Most everyone in this culture is familiar with the animated camel better know as "JO Camel", the advertising technique used by Camel cigarettes. Why a camel? I really do not know why this is the choice of the marketing directors at Camel cigarettes but it has been a rather affective one in that everyone knows "JO".
This ad is a spoof on the Camel ads and shows all of the camels in the hospital on Chemo because all of the cigarettes they have been smoking have given them cancer.
This ad utilizes a few very clear rhetorical strategies. The first that seems to be the most obvious is the us of cause and effect. It demonstrates how the use of Camel cigarettes are often times the cause of cancer thus making patients require the use of Chemo for survival. This is the biggest strategy of the add that appeals to the pathos of the audience. It is in many ways a very comical ad but appeals to a very serious situation. Most people have at one time or another been a smoker, known someone that smokes or at least are around a smoker every so often. Most people have felt the effects of smoking, whether it be as drastic as actually having cancer or not. Nonetheless, there are not many positive effects to smoking. This appeals to pathos as people can relate emotionally to the consequences of smoking.
Finally, this ad uses the original Camel ads as a social commentary in a huge way. As I mentioned before, most Americans are familiar with "Jo Camel" which allows the people who see this ad to understand its message. If this ad were in another country where Camel cigarettes were not sold there would be a disconnect to where the people would have a very difficult time understanding the advertisement.

2 comments:

Fu said...

Even though the picture is kind of sad it is hilarious. The cause and effect is greatly used in this picture. Who would of thought that the Camels in the brand cigarette can get cancer or even smoke. I personally hate cigarettes, it has taken away two of closest people to me. Nicotine is addicting and I think people should take the message from this picture seriously or else potentially they can end up in the same place as these camels. Look at the expression on that camel's face, it is so so sad. Nice post.

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