A vintage Benson & Hedge's ad evokes a cheekier (but no less deadly) era of cigarette marketing

Sometimes an ad gets just a little too truthful for its own good.  By the time this 1972 full-pager for Benson & Hedges 100’s ran in Life magazine, smoking was widely understood to be associated with a range of serious diseases. So, sure, let’s equate using our product to jumping out of a plane.  Bought by Philip Morris in 1958, Benson & Hedges is a British brand and still a subsidiary of the American conglomerate Philip Morris International. This ad was part of a larger “favorite cigarette break” campaign that leaned into the fact that Benson & Hedges offered longer cigarettes at the same price point, so people kept accidentally snapping the suckers in two. “Nobody had ever mutilated a cigarette before in American advertising—cigarettes, like automobiles, had always been treated with reverent respect by their manufacturers,” Mad Woman Mary Wells Lawrence wrote in her 2002 memoir “A Big Life (In Advertising).”  “Anything anti-establishment seemed smart in the mid-’60s, so our advertising made Benson & Hedges wildly hip and cool and the cigarette to be seen with.” (Lawrence, the first female CEO listed on the New York Stock Exchange, is still alive at 91. Must not have been a smoker.) But the times? They are a-changin’. Benson & Hedges parent PMI was in the news last week as merger talks between it and Altria Group, another American purveyor of cancer, broke down. Altria itself holds a minority stake in Juul Labs, the embattled e-cigarette maker... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-30 09:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #merger talks #minority stake #recent months #memoir

Other Publishing stories related to: ' A vintage Benson & Hedge's ad evokes a cheekier (but no less deadly) era of cigarette marketing '


News Corp. Touts Print Ads, But Books, Real Estate Are Real Winners

News Corp. continues to tout the strength of its legacy newspaper business even though most of the company's growth now stems from expansions in the real estate and book publishing markets. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #real estate


European publishers assess the threat of ad blocking

We aslked Dazed Group, News U.K., Mashable and Monrif Group what they think about the ominous subject of ad blocking. The post European publishers assess the threat of ad blocking appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad blocking


Facebook Opens Its Ad Awards to Instagram Campaigns

Facebook is allowing a new ad type in its yearly awards: Instagram campaigns. The Facebook Awards started taking submissions last week, and for the first time, Instagram ads are up for consideration, the social network said. This is the fourth year Facebook is hosting the ad awards, and Adweek... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media strategy #emerging markets #latin america #middle east


Car Brands Are Starting to Get the Marketing Data They've Always Wanted

The car industry isn't slowing down when it comes to employing more data for everything from vehicle malfunctions to marketing. In fact, in terms of digital advertising, the category looks like it's putting the pedal to the metal, as tech vendors, publishers and other players increasingly roll... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #specific product #short order #general motors #real time


The Real Victims of Ad Fraud Might Surprise You

Advertisers have been making a lot of noise about viewability and fraud lately. And with good reason -- according to sources like comScore and Google, half of online advertising dollars go to waste due to bots, click fraud and out-of-sight placements. While the costs to advertisers might be... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #quality content #brand-safe environments


Jeff Bridges Lulls You To Sleep In The Squarespace Super Bowl Ad

The Dude goes fully meditative to promote his new sleeping aid album.We already knew about the Jeff Bridges Sleeping Tapes, a collection of relaxing sounds, guided meditations and stories designed to help improve your slumber. The Oscar-winning actor teamed up with website publishing platform... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The ebook is dead. Long live the ebook

Reports that physical books are gaining ground at the expense of digital are just plain wrongHas the ebook had its day? If you’ve skimmed a newspaper over the past month you could be forgiven for thinking just that. “The physical book market is making a comeback after years of decline,”... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #past month #christmas trading #teenage son #james daunt


Irish market surprises with strong 2014

Publishers and booksellers in Ireland have breathed a sigh of relief as the market experienced an unprecedented rebound in 2014, surpassing expectations. Figures from Nielsen BookScan reveal that 9.6 million physical books were sold through the tills in Ireland, equating to €106.4m (£79.4m) in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #2% increase #6% decline #sales plunge


Facebook's Mobile Revenue Climbs to $2.5 Billion as Ad Prices Soar

Facebook continues to do what few digital publishers can pull off: Over each of the last five quarters, the social network has been able to boost revenue even as it sells fewer ads.The ability to raise prices has rocketed Facebook's overall revenue to $3.85 billion in the most recent quarter. In... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishers #raise prices #recent quarter #year earlier #make money


Italian Ebook Market Estimated to Grow 30-40% in 2015

Marcello Vena of AllBrain's recent survey of the Italian book market estimates Italian ebook sales nearing €60m, and growing 30-40% in 2015. The post Italian Ebook Market Estimated to Grow 30-40% in 2015 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #marcello vena #recent survey


Audio: A Rights Market Heats Up

The rights marketplace has certainly seen 2015 begin with a bang and nowhere more so than through the glut of audiobook licensing deals being completed. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rights marketplace


Turkish Book Rights Market Buffeted by Currency Fluctuations

Amy Marie Spangler of the AnatoliaLit Agency surveys the Turkish book market and the challenges it faces due to currency and political fluctuations. The post Turkish Book Rights Market Buffeted by Currency Fluctuations appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #currency fluctuations


International markets' Christmas performance

In Russia, a biography of Putin was a Christmas bestseller; in Norway and Sweden, there were surprise festive hits on hair-braiding; in Australia, it was beach read season; while in Spain, it was Ken Follett who topped FNAC's Christmas bestseller list. The Bookseller's international... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #international markets #ken follett #book trade


Amazon Pursues Education Market with Kindle Textbook Creator

Amazon has launched a new tool for authors to create and sell digital textbooks. But there are questions about royalty rates on higher priced e-textbooks. The post Amazon Pursues Education Market with Kindle Textbook Creator appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #royalty rates


More Competition in the All-You-Can-Read Magazine Market

The Netflix-for-magazines race continues… The post More Competition in the All-You-Can-Read Magazine Market appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Diamond 2014 Results Dip Despite Strong Comics Market

Comics and pop culture vendor Diamond Book Distributors reports sales in 2014 were down "slightly," blaming the decline on the loss of Dark Horse Comics, which switched its distribution last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Pearson to spend £33m on education in emerging markets

Pearson plans to invest £33m in education initiatives in the world's emerging markets.  The education publisher has revealed it will invest £33m ($50m) in the Pearson Affordable Learning Fund to provide education to low-income learners around the world. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pearson plans #education publisher #provide education #emerging markets


Print and digital help grow the book market in 2014

Last year the book trade “rekindled its love affair with the physical book”, Pan Macmillan’s m.d Anthony Forbes Watson has told The Bookseller. “Previous years have all been about growing ebook sales, but in 2014, in a market where ebook sales were plateauing, suddenly it was all about forward... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book market #love affair #physical book #pan macmillan #previous years #ebook sales


Children's app market set for schism

Single-app products will struggle to survive in children’s publishing in 2015 and the industry should shift its focus to online communities and cross-platform content, digital experts in the trade have warned. Sara O’Connor, digital fiction director at Hot Key Books, said many apps will “die... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online communities #digital experts #eric huang #development director #making money


Ad fraud: The oldest trick in the media book

Ad fraud has been going on for decades. However, the sophistication of today’s ad fraud is something that puts sticky fingered program managers of yore to shame. The post Ad fraud: The oldest trick in the media book appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad fraud