Since the Surgeon General linked smoking to lung cancer in 1965, controversy has surrounded the tobacco industry and its advertising methods. Research over the past thirty five years has focused on the effect of cigarette advertising on sales, the impact of tobacco advertisements on youth, and the content of the ads.A content analysis conducted by David Altman in 1987 analyzed model activity in cigarette advertisements in magazines from 1960-1985. Altman concluded that tobacco advertisers were targeting youth and women's markets differently through the frequent use of health and vitality themes in the advertisements. The present study is a replication of the 1987 content analysis. The same eight magazines were selected for the years 1986-2000: Cycle World, Ebony, Ladies Home Journal, Mademoiselle, Popular Science, Rolling Stone, Time, and TV Guide. Three coders studied 365 tobacco advertisements and evaluated the act of smoking, the presence of low tar and nicotine claims, and the vitality of smoking themes.The findings indicated an increase in the use of health and vitality themes in cigarette advertisements, just as in the original study. Low tar and nicotine claims, however, decreased in the advertisements in the present study despite having increased in the 1987 data. Also consistent with the original study was the higher frequency of health and vitality themes used in advertisements geared toward youth and women than in those targeting general audiences. The portrayal of the act of smoking decreased in both studies.The researcher concludes that tobacco advertisers continue to target youth and women with health and vitality themes, and therefore violate the industry's advertising code. / Department of Journalism
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/187524 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Brookshire, Sara E. |
| Contributors | Popovich, Mark N. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 61 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us--- |
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