The leading tobacco companies have always had a winning marketing strategy. Though their marketing campaign may have been successful, it might not have always been ethical. In the past, before the U.S. government stepped in and imposed regulations on tobacco advertising, it appeared that the advertisements put out by cigarette companies were aimed at the youth of this country. Recently, the cigarette companies appear to be singing a different song. The new campaign appeals to non-smokers, stating that beginning the habit of smoking is not wise. This is a total transition from the Joe Camel campaign, which was run by the R. J. Reynolds company years ago.
Throughout earlier years the R. J. Reynolds company used the Joe Camel campaign to entice a younger generation of people to start smoking. The colorful cartoon Camel was depicted as a hip, cool, and popular character having a good time with all his camel friends smoking cigarettes. Other companies simply used normal people depicted in regular everyday situations having a better time smoking. Now that lawsuits against the cigarette companies are being filed, they are taking a different side. As of late the cigarette companies have turned the advertising campaign around. Now the goal of all the advertising is to prevent the spread of smoking among youths, and also the prevention of smoking in current non-smokers. The new ads appear to be an attempt for the cigarette companies to be able to say that they are at least trying to curb the smoking habit in an attempt to prevent more lawsuits.
