Text Transcription for Image: Above: “everything changes, eventually”, Below: “The evolution of smoking /  Finally, a truly satisfying alternative.”

Original Ad: 

This is an ad by the company Juul which is an American electronic cigarette company that specializes in selling and marketing their products known as ‘juuls’ which are single use e-cigarettes. These e-cigarettes have been known to contain higher than normal concentrations of nicotine compared to smoking regular cigarettes. This ad in particular can be seen as specifically targeting a younger audience as seen in its inclusion of a joystick which appeals to the type of activities such as video games, that typical youth audiences are familiar with and recognize easily. However, the problem that can be addressed in this ad is its focus on younger audiences and its ageist statement: “everything changes, eventually.” This statement when connected and applied to the product marketing can be considered ageist as it assumes that objects or trends associated with the past are no longer as coveted or valued in the present time. This indirectly creates a generational bias towards technology and trends that are newly released. In doing so, it also dismisses the history and origins of products in the past while simultaneously devaluing their worth despite their use as inspiration for newer inventions. In using the example of the joystick, one could compare it to the latest Nintendo Switch and recognize the positive influence the joystick had on video game technology instead of just ignorantly choosing the Nintendo Switch fact that it is newer. This perpetuates an ongoing narrative towards older generations that their values and interests are outdated and must be replaced. The notion presented in the ad that “newer is better” can be exclusionary in a sense that it uses time as an indicator for marketing appeal and user satisfaction. 

Text Transcription for Image: Above: “everything changes, eventually”, Below: “I look new, but do I do anything different?” / “Yes, it’s just another way to smoke.”

Jammed Version:

My approach in jamming the original ad was to challenge the statement “everything changes, eventually” by essentially agreeing with it in an obvious way. Products and items are indeed capable of changing, but that does not essentially mean that a more recent product is better or more worthy of products that came before them. The ad seemed to attach a negative connotation towards products from the past. In order to combat the generational bias and to deter the ad away from appealing to a select younger audience, I wanted to de-emphasize the “newness” of the original product by simplifying their company slogan. The company claims to be a new evolution and alternative to conventional smoking as if they are more trendy and beneficial compared to cigarettes. As mentioned in the article Political Culture Jamming: The Dissident Humor of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart by Martha Stewart: “the particular relationship to be cultivated with consumers depends on the type of image that marketers believe will best sell their product to its target demographic: dependable, practical, good value for the price, safe, or the much coveted yet ever elusive “cool””(20). This is relevant as the ad relies on its “new” factor in order to be appealing to a younger generation by altering the already familiar and capitalizing on that. A juul may have no physical resemblance to a cigarette but by emphasizing its functionality as being one in the same, if not worse than a cigarette, it takes away the glamour and highlights its true nature. 

Works Cited

“Juul Advertisement.” The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 12 Feb. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/health/juul-vaping-lawsuit.html.

Warner, Jamie. “Political Culture Jamming: The Dissident Humor of ‘The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.’” Popular Communication, vol. 5, no. 1, 2007, pp. 17–36., doi:10.1080/15405700709336783.