Before one brings an argument about visual rhetoric, it is better for one to put into consideration on what its meaning is all about. One can term visual rhetoric to be a form of passing a message or communication across by the use of the images or pictures that are meant to create a given meaning or come up with an argument that is against that meaning. However, as one can say that, a picture is worth a thousand words, those who believe in those words are always right because whatever pictures we come across on the streets, magazines, on billboards and on televisions might be containing the real meaning of that image and it is our duty to take time to observe and internalize it so as to find its meaning correctly since pictures and other visual elements can pack a lot of rhetoric punch thus triggering verbal argument or coming up with their own elements. The interesting part is that, in visual rhetoric, an argument can be made without even opening the mouth. For instance, when we look at the cigarette advertisements techniques that have been used before and today, we notice that they contain a lot of visual rhetoric. This is the main reason why, in this research paper, the focus will be put on the cigarette adverts thorough the print ads, media and even the internet because they represent the common tropes from the cigarette advertising. With this, we will be able to have a lot of characteristics in connection with each brand of cigarette.
For instance, when we put the focus on the print cigarette Ads or even the media channels in the form of advertisement, we realize that, cigarette Ads became very common in the 19th centuries ago, despite many efforts of some governments in collaboration with the health facilities in some nations trying to ban it from the limelight. This triggered many tactics to be employed by the concerned companies in spite of smoking being viewed to be to be very harmful to a person’s health. Those days, smoking was portrayed as glamorous. Companies took the advantages of using the images of beautiful women and men of class to steal the marketing industry by attracting many consumers. Since people considered celebrities to be very high people in the society, most cigarette Ads used them to advertise through their various activities such as sports, movies and even music. All this was to show the world that smoking was desirable in the society and it should be embraced. To woo more people, text messages were used as slogans of which when they were put on the advertisement paper, the paper could be divided to separate the slogan and the picture in the cigarette pack. The text was meant to create an argument that cigarette smoking was a superior brand as compared to its competitors through the use of unsubstantiated facts. Cigarette companies went much further by even using the experts opinion of who were to lie to people that cigarette had no health effect on a person. These strategies were used by the cigarette companies so as to survive in the market. This was after the cigarette companies discovering that people had realized the side effects of smoking.
Furthermore, another rhetorical theme that was used during those times was that of the social context. This was especially targeted to the World War II military officers. The idea was to woo the officers by using them in the appearance at the front of their cigarette packets so as to insinuate to people that smoking cigarettes brought lots of energy to those who used them. They used them in their advertisement which passed across a strong rhetorical message.
Nevertheless, when one looks at the Cigarette Ads very keenly, a person can be able to notice the kind of images they have been used to woo many people into smoking, images such as those of young kids smoking especially in the Vintage cigarette Ads, the youths are also the biggest contributors of smoking and that is why they have been used, the adults and even the older people embracing the cigarettes but in real sense, a bigger percentage especially that of kids as the Vintage Cigarette Ads tries to perceive might not be knowing the pleasure in smoking.
The Cigarette Ads have also indicated that, any race, either black or white, can smoke cigarettes without any restriction. This is untrue because a person can be restricted by a doctor or even some illnesses from smoking. Nevertheless, not only the race, these adverts have been able to put their target on both males and females. What is targeted here was to promote the gender roles that are associated with smoking. When it came to the color on the cigarettes, for women who are known to love colors, women were considered to be nature oriented and that is why during their Ads, water and green color were used in the background since they were know to pass a message of the innate connection with matters to do with fertility.
Despite all that, with their consideration on the societal gender, most of the dressings in the Cigarette Ads carry their own different meaning, even though whatever meaning that is carried does not have to focus on the negative things. Cigarette Ads have been known to be carrying more pleasure adverts than others. Companies have also been able to feature people who have fun by relaxing while smoking. These companies claim that, for those people who smoke, their disposition will be improved always. Here what is normally meant is always derived from those permanent representations of what can be viewed to be pleasant. Through thorough observations made, the rhetoric here normally comes from the characters used in those cigarette advertisements. Reason for such advertisements is to allow a bigger number of consumers to take their time in analyzing the pictures on the adverts but in such a way that specific attributes of the objects in the image are highlighted.
There are those in those adverts who dress with different motives. For instance there are those with messages of pleasure, profession and many more while they are those which carry messages to show some relieve even though is not a must for one to smoke in order to get some relieve even have some pleasure. All this are meant to make people believe that cigarettes smoking can create wonders in ones life of whoever who takes a chance to smoke. To reveal more, some cigarette Ads have also managed to pass the message by using pictures which have got images of doctors of whom are supposed to advice people on the dangers of smoking, military officers and others have also been used. Some of the people on the cigarettes Ads are heavily ornamented while others reveal sexually enticing messages due to their dressing even though as we said, a picture can speaks a thousand words, it doesn’t mean dressing in such a manner means you are sexually active, there are those who dress for fun while other images might have been done that way to attract the none smokers into trying smoking. For illustration, there are pictures of some ladies in short skirts which are very revealing.
Furthermore, as the saying goes that one can visualize an image or a picture without speaking. However, if you observe the pictures with a lot of attentiveness, one can notice that those pictures are taken in different environments which are both indoors and outdoors. For the outdoor environment, they are used to display physical fitness, military officers in the field and many more while in the inside, different messages can be observed, either one is reading, or even indoor relaxation while smoking.
Nevertheless, with the analysis observed above about the cigarette ads, for one to find out the truth, it is better to study all different kinds of cigarettes advertisements, the methods or tactics they use to woo many consumers and become competitive and the kind of messages and images they posses on their cigarette packets. They should also look upon the kind of colors used and the characters in the picture with their dressing, and how they interpret such kind of messages through character dressing in the advert. The focus should also be the place or the channel where those cigarette advertisements are done. They should consider whether it is either through print ads, radios televisions, bill-boards and even the internet and how the society perceive it and whether the society is aware of the side effects caused by such acts of smoking.
With such analyzing of the images or picture on the cigarette adverts, then one should understand fully that such process of analyzing is known as visual rhetoric. This is a way the image displays itself before a person’s eyes as it collaborates with the written texts on whether on the packets or advertisement channels so as to create an argument that is meant to move a specific consumer or audience.