How Tobacco Advertising Influences Young People.
How Tobacco Advertising Influences Young People.
At the age of fourteen, I had my first puff of smoke. Even before that I knew a lot of cigarette brands due to advertising. Since then I started smoking and when I went to cafeterias and clubs the people who were promoting cigarettes would offer me a new brand to try and gave me free packs of cigarettes and a lighter with their brand. They didn’t mind how old I was, they just wanted to give them away and promote their product. But except this kind of advertisement, I had seen lots of tobacco advertisements on billboards which made me believe that everything is ok if I smoke. This is a false impression that tobacco advertisements picture to teenagers. Tobacco advertisements influence teenagers by glamorizing smoking.
The World Health Organization blamed the advertisers for attracting young people, by representing cigarettes with being glamorous, energetic and attractive (BBC
News 1). Except that, is how big the billboards are (see fig. 1 and fig. 2).
Fig. 1. Photograph of a billboard advertising Peter Stuyvesant cigarettes
Fig. 2. Billboard, featuring a man leaning against a boat and smoking, with the caption "Slow Down. Pleasure Up."
Even teenagers can see these big advertisements and they imitate what they see from different media which influences them into smoking. Although tobacco advertisers say that their advertisements are aimed for adults, yet this is not true because teenagers imitate those images .The glamorization of tobacco, the positive impression which teenagers get from tobacco advertising and the effects of advertisement are the main reasons why tobacco advertising attracting teenagers should be banned. Banning tobacco advertisements at places where teenagers are able to see them, means ban at all public places which leads to violation of companies’ rights.
Young people go everywhere and since the advertisements are put everywhere the advertisers wont be able to advertise
At the age of fourteen, I had my first puff of smoke. Even before that I knew a lot of cigarette brands due to advertising. Since then I started smoking and when I went to cafeterias and clubs the people who were promoting cigarettes would offer me a new brand to try and gave me free packs of cigarettes and a lighter with their brand. They didn’t mind how old I was, they just wanted to give them away and promote their product. But except this kind of advertisement, I had seen lots of tobacco advertisements on billboards which made me believe that everything is ok if I smoke. This is a false impression that tobacco advertisements picture to teenagers. Tobacco advertisements influence teenagers by glamorizing smoking.
The World Health Organization blamed the advertisers for attracting young people, by representing cigarettes with being glamorous, energetic and attractive (BBC
News 1). Except that, is how big the billboards are (see fig. 1 and fig. 2).
Fig. 1. Photograph of a billboard advertising Peter Stuyvesant cigarettes
Fig. 2. Billboard, featuring a man leaning against a boat and smoking, with the caption "Slow Down. Pleasure Up."
Even teenagers can see these big advertisements and they imitate what they see from different media which influences them into smoking. Although tobacco advertisers say that their advertisements are aimed for adults, yet this is not true because teenagers imitate those images .The glamorization of tobacco, the positive impression which teenagers get from tobacco advertising and the effects of advertisement are the main reasons why tobacco advertising attracting teenagers should be banned. Banning tobacco advertisements at places where teenagers are able to see them, means ban at all public places which leads to violation of companies’ rights.
Young people go everywhere and since the advertisements are put everywhere the advertisers wont be able to advertise
Cited: Bronwyn, Lamay. “ Busting The Tobacco Ads”. KQCD Education. 2001. 26 May 2009 <http://uw.kqed.org/edresources/plan.> “Call To Ban All Tobacco Adverts”. BBC News 31 May 2008. 24 Apr. 2009 <http://www.newsvote.bbc.co.uk/>. Ser. 362.2. Cambridge: Independence, 2004. Hayes, Susan. “Smoke Screen”. NewsBank Popular Periodicals Jan. 2009: 16 Hazard, Andrea “Industry Arguments”. Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship. Nov. 2008 8 June 2009