Cigarettes Popular in the Stone Age

Harry Clarke has a great summary of cigarette advertising as part of a series of posts on tobacco addiction and impact.

The evolution of advertising is fascinating with early promotion developing a mass market for cigarettes from nothing within 20 years at the turn of the century. The early sales pitch emphasising the development of positive associations, unbridled optimism and sex appeal, rugged Cowboys and cool French Cafes. In the last 20 years we have come full circle with the banning of cigarette advertising, anti smoking adverts and the promotion of tobacco substitutes and quit smoking products. All of this within a Century.

As a non smoker, no bad thing. In the early years of my career, smokers were definitely a larger number, not a majority. Now in my office they are a distinct minority. They have been pushed out of public spaces and marginalised. I just don't like all the cigarette stubs on the ground at the nearest point of exit from a public building. I am happy that the work environment is no longer polluted. Going to visit my boss in Singapore was a fairly unpleasant experience, not just for work reasons.

What is not so good is just as the markets for cigarettes dive in the West, they are increasing dramatically in countries like India and China, major mass markets. I wonder what themes are being used to push the cancer stick onto these populations?