The Product
The product being advertised is Lucky Strike cigarettes. I found this ad on a train platform in Berlin.

Why This Product
I noticed this advertisement because cigarettes are simply not advertised in the United States, and have not been for several years. In Europe not only is this controversial product marketed openly, but in a very sleek and sexy style. The motto below reads, “Lucky Strike. Like nothing else.” The ad portrays a pack of cigarettes from different angles, and refers to its brand as “Lucky’s best Topmodel”. My interpretation is the ad is making a reference to a popular TV show in Europe, Germany’s Next Top Model. The cigarettes are shown as “models”, with their measurements and description of status given. The product is displayed as stylish and attractive, despite the fact that the packaging displays a large label with the warning, “Smoking can be deadly.”

Analysis
I found this ad interesting because everything from the actual product being sold, to the style and layout, to the content and slogans of the ad are unlike anything I have ever seen in the United States. Tobacco products are simply not advertised to the general public, much less in a train station where thousands of people pass by the billboard daily. As for the noticeable disclaimer on the box, it is a legal requirement (within Europe at least) to place those warnings on tobacco products as a means of informing the general public of the harms of cigarettes each time they light up, but I found it interesting the company chose to leave the disclaimer on the packaging for the ad. Maybe the disclaimer is also required for advertisements, but it seems counterproductive when half the billboard is spent selling the product, while another large piece of the space is advising you against it.
I found the reference to Germany’s Next Top Model very interesting because typically so-called “sin stocks” like tobacco, alcohol, and gambling are to a certain extent regarded as advertising taboos. No celebrity, company, or entity will directly endorse these sorts of products because they are seen as vices – at least in the United States. I found it very strange, then, that such a popular, mainstream TV show would be associated with a product – that even within smoke-infested Europe – is constantly getting negative publicity.

Orli Perez