Outrageous ’70s Pro Smoking Ads

Smoking is really bad for you. Fact. Everyone knows how bad it is for you; the government, your family, school, scientists, pretty much everyone except people from the ‘60s and ‘70s, they really didn’t have a clue. This was a time of free love, rebellion and exploration and cigarettes were pride of place in half the populations’ fingers and mouths.

Did you know smoking one pack a day for a year will take 55 days off your life expectancy? It’s no surprise then that numbers of people smoking are falling and have been since 1974. And with the invention of vaping, people can still do what they love without the costly side effects on us and our planet. Still, people seem intent on damaging their health with the current figure of active smokers sitting around 19% of the population. To think, 40 years ago over half of men in the UK smoked with women close behind at 41%. And you can see why with these ‘convincing’ ads.

Lucky Strike, so good even Santa smoked them. “Luckies is your throat protection..” from throat cancer??

Yep! That’s what we heard. Tipalet, the Lynx of ‘70s cigarettes.

Brands and black-eyes, they go hand in hand right? The smoking brands did a good job of reassuring smokers by promoting benefits like no cigarette hangovers. Wow, that really makes you “believe in yourself” what even is a cigarette hangover? The Camel lady asks “would he walk a mile for me?” no he wouldn’t. What self-respecting smoking man of the ‘70s would be able to walk further than the shops for his next pack of 20? Perhaps our favourite so far; Winston is not only responsible for this lovely young lady smoking herself into an early grave but they also help us spell ‘T-A-S-T-E’, thanks Winston!

There has been a considerable decline among young adult smokers aged 16-19 since the heydays of the ‘70s. From 35% of the population to 15% showing a weakening popularity of smoking with this age group thanks to a ban on pro-smoking ads and a steady stream of thought-provoking anti-smoking campaigns over the years. Vaping is certainly the future of the smoking industry and it’s becoming quite the social statement. Let’s hope vape marketers learn from the mistakes of the cigarette companies or we might be at the peril of more smoke-inhaling female pests.