Lucky Strike Ad Analysis

Lucky Strike is one of the most famous cigarettes brands known since the early 1900s. A 1929 American Tobacco Company advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes contributed in making that brand the top-selling brand in the United States during the 1930s. This Lucky Strike ad uses imagery that illustrates dominant social norms and many other advertising technics in order to convince women to smoke in public.

At first glance, a gigantic, sturdy, white male hand breaking a metal chain, and wearing a red, blue and white cuff catches the eyes. On the red part of the cuff, “AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE” is written, on the blue part, a white star is drawn. A headline in capital characters printed with a large, black, bold font, claims “AN ANCIENT PREJUDICE HAS BEEN REMOVED”. The metal chain appears hanging down from the headline. Behind the hand, people on the beach are swimming, while some women

AMERICAIN INTELLIGENCE in behalf of better health and pure enjoyment sponsors the fashion of sensible swimming attire.” delineates the background of the ad. In other words, the phrase “false modesty” refers to the women who are fully dressed on the beach; those who are still attached to the old prejudice against the light swimwear then against smoking overtly. In contrary, ”AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE” used as an ethos in the ad, had at that time many commercial organizations that helped in promoting American society. As a result, it sponsored a sensible swimsuit for “better health” and “pure enjoyment”. The words “better” and “pure” along with “false modesty” were used to prove that the old moral prohibitions are simply wrong; the new swimsuit is pure and the enjoyment is more intense once “false modesty” about the female body is banished. In addition, drawing a male hand represents a pathos. It highlights the strength and power used by the American intelligence to omit social narrow-minded