Virtually alien to the sort of marketing tobacco companies would be allowed to do in North America, this Russian Kiss Superslims campaign makes smoking cigarettes look delicious. The target consumer is clearly lively young women, intoxicated by the same candies that they craved during their childhood.
This brand of smokes is quite explicitly equated to the lollipops and ice cream cones; dessert foods with overwhelmingly sweet flavors. However, not having tried Kiss cigarettes before, I myself cannot comment on the comparison's accuracy.
Nevertheless, these pretty pink prints are quite the paradox, when one considers the side effects of smoking as discovered by health professionals. Despite that, I have little doubt that this Kiss Superslims campaign will prove to be effective for its intended demographic.
Photo Credits: trenddelacreme, kiss-club.ru
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Sweet Smoke
- Marketing of cigarettes as a sweet delicacy despite the obvious health problems can be replaced using innovative branding strategies to target young female smokers.
- Paradoxical Promotion
- Commercials promoting harmful products in a way that negatively impacts health can also lead to a desire to create alternative safer products.
- Child-like Packaging
- Packaging with sweet candies and colorful designs can be a way to attract children and youth towards tobacco products, increasing the perceived need for regulation.
Where This Applies
- Tobacco Industry
- Tobacco companies can take cues from these kinds of marketing campaigns and find new and innovative ways to market their products in a regulated industry.
- Advertising Industry
- The backlash against these ads and the health risks they promote can lead to more creative, safer, and more considerate advertising industries.
- Healthcare Industry
- As healthcare professionals continue to monitor health effects associated with smoking, they may need to remain vigilant in their messaging to discourage these sweet-smelling dangerous products.
