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Red Kamel Voyeurs
The
key embedded images are, first of all,
a The
symbolic element is, as might be expected, the train. Movie buffs
might In
addition to the embedded imagery, the non verbal posturing of the
men indicates that the size of something seems to be important.
However, they are clearly incompetent. They could not make the earth
move, even with a ton of TNT. Despite what is often All these men are capable of doing is looking and boasting. They couldn't achieve success with a woman and the producers of this ad know it. The woman is the 'real' man in this ad, the real Kamel smoker. And she is, of course, also the only one with an upright 'weapon'. She could show the men what to do but she isn't interested. Note the 'two fingered' salute evident in the cigarette smoke.
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Blood Red Kamel!
There
are three faint or out of focus, semi-subliminal, images em The
Usherette ad clearly intends, in one respect, to convey a sensuous message,
if one judges the ad by the amount of leg and stocking displayed by
the Usherette. So far, all is amenable to conscious appraisal.
However, if you look in the hair of the Usherette you Thus, according to this ad, men who smoke Red Kamel cigarettes
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Baying at the Moon? Is there any thing semi-subliminal in this ad that fits in with the previously identified theme of male incompetence/inadequacy and predatory women? Yes, there is. Look
on the wall above the running women and you will see the figure on
the right. Wolves, baying away. Well, I guess howling is all the a
Red Kamel smoker could do as
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It's a Woman's World
Additionally, whilst the ad with the partisans indicated that the men were arguing about the size of their equipment, this ad indicates that there is nothing to worry about. In fact, in robotic man such tackle just doesn't exist. Wipe-out!
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Left dangling
Look
at the gloved hand reaching for the Red Kamel packet. It doesn't show
a relaxed individual at all. The 'face' on the glove is in
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On the Wisdom of Ages There is something rather curious about the previous set of ads. They
are military. But then, again, the men are less than capable. The
ads reflect sexual interest. But they also reflect anxiety about women.
They thus are not oriented towards elderly survivors of war in Europe
or elsewhere. So who are these ads intended to influence? The answer
is seemingly adolescent youths. Adolescent males like to think they
act like 'Wolves', they have an interest in women, are often anxious
about their The corollary of course, is also apposite. The ads are likely to appeal to today's New Woman: young women encouraged to be forceful, assertive, to act self assured - and keep men in their place. Red Kamel ads are not the only brand with advertising themes oriented towards kids. See the ads discussed on Kid's Stuff.
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Would you be interested in supporting the development of a web site focussing specifically on cigarette advertising, smoking behaviour, nicotine addiction and related information? In particular would you like to help encourage youngsters to develop a healthy scepticism about advertising practices associated with cigarette advertising and promotion? If you can offer either financial assistance to develop such a site or have material available that could be of use on such a site, the author would be pleased if you would contact him. |
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Last Revised: 3rd January, 2003 |
Kamel
ads offer a range of embedded elements, ranging from the relatively
obvious to those on the borderline of 
perceptual
ability. The ad illustrated on the left for example, relies primarily
on a combination of classic symbolic imagery, non verbal cues, and
a couple of embedded images to make and enhance its message. As with
the other Kamel ads discussed below, this ad paints a less than heroic
picture of the male Kamel smoker, despite the military trappings of
the male partisans in the background. An entirely different aura surrounds
the females in the ads.
stated
in ads, size isn't everything. However, they don't know it.
In this case, regardless of size, the 'train' isn't going to enter
any 'tunnel', even if the semi-subliminal suggestion is that the woman
(all women?) is (are) supposed to be capable of acting and reproducing
'just like rabbits'. 
Recent Red Kamel ads seek to 'insert'
ideas and associations into the minds of those who view the ads.
The viewers won't, of course, have any choice as to whether they accept
the associations presented at a semi-subliminal level. In fact,
in some cases, such as the Usherette ad discussed here, they probably
would not wish to consider the ideas consciously. This may
possibly be one reason why the imagery in this ad is small and presented
very close to the borderline of perceptual ability.
bedded
into this rather simple ad. The ad, as with others in the series, harks
back to the W.W.II and post war years when usherettes wore pillbox hats
(but tended not to pose before the cinema audience in the manner depicted
in the ad). 
Like
the Partisan ad this ad has a W.W.II military feel about it. Wouldn't
any ad that had a tank in it? But again it is the women who are the
most 'macho', running forward with guns. The male tank commander can
only find solace with a cigarette (Red Kamel presumably). 
The
previous ads indicated that the psychographic profile of Red Kamel
smokers were afraid of women and lacking some essential equipment.
This ad continues the theme. Women are seen to be defensive and aggressive,
easily keeping the robotic male at bay. 
Here comes our hero again, dangling like a puppet. The overt
message is that he is nonchalantly smoking a cigarette. More covertly
it indicates that he is just as emasculated as ever and desperate
for a fag.
sexuality,
argue about the size of their members, lust after women, see them
as objects, etc. But in their adolescent reality, as opposed to their
fantasies, it is women who have the upper hand. Women can be lusted
after but any advances will be repulsed. Sexual success will elude
the unfortunate Red Kamel smoker.
