Print Advertisment

What does the ad reveal about the cultural/ social/ or historical context of its production?

According to the ad, what values or characteristics are the most important?

Who is empowered in this commercial? Who is ignored or marginalized? For what reason?

The Lucky Strike Cigarette advertisement that we analysed in class reveals significant amounts about the historical and social context of its production. Firstly, it is possible to deduce that the advertisement was published in the 1940-50's. Evidence, to suggest this is present on the bottom right of the advertisement, where the sign says "Buy Lucky Strike, Buy U.S Government Bonds!". Usually, the government encourages its citizens to buy bonds during the time of wars so that they can receive additional funding for it. This evidence, combined with the fact that the advertisement is an animated cartoon style, further prods towards the mid 1900's era because camera photo technology hadn't developed or become very popular in that era. The fact that the era is the 1950's, causes for several different social issues being addressed in the advert itself. For example, by the 1950's women had earned the right to vote and during the war the government had done several women empowerment advertising campaigns such as "Rosie the Riveter", aimed at encouraging women to break stereotypes and help out with the war.  Thus, it was at this time women had started partaking in jobs which were previously only "meant" for men. This is reflected in the advertisement when a young man is seen offering a lady a cigarette.  The fact that both the man and lady are smoking "Lucky Strike" cigarettes put them in a position of equality, thus empowering women. In addition to this, the ad takes place on the beach in which, the lady in the advertisement seems to be wearing quite skimpy clothes. This, could also portray that the American society back then was not very conservative and indeed quite liberal. The advertisement also reveals that marine guards at that time, were associated with smoking. Evidence to support this is seen, when a marine guard is seen pointing at the Lucky Strike symbol, with a cigarette in his mouth. Nowadays, it is seen as disgraceful when a marine decides to engage in such an activity as it shows he/she is unfocused and impulsive judgments on the Marine's "crude" personality are made. However, if this sort of behavior was viewed as the standard back at the time of this ad, the society must have been more liberal to such activities, when partaken by a military official

According to the ad, the value of smoking cigarettes is seen as almost a healthy hobby. Evidence of this is the text in the advert which says "Be Happy - Go Lucky". The ad, is portraying the act of smoking cigarettes is something which makes a person happy. This is highly typical of the mid 1900's, where scientific research hadn't yet been conducted to find the harmful effects of smoking on the human body. The values of society at this clearly seem to be centered around having a great time and being in a relaxed mood.