News Camel’s “The Farm” Campaign Criticized in the NYT
posted by on November 28 at 9:56 AM
In this post last night, I criticized Camel for producing shows with bands that appeal to young people in a ploy to associate their brand with things that young people like, even if young people can’t actually attend the shows. All of this promotion is happening under a division of Camel’s promotion arm called “The Farm.”
In Monday’s New York Times, Stuart Elliott criticizes a different end of The Farm’s promotions—its print advertising in Rolling Stone.
An insert in Rolling Stone magazine sponsored by Camel cigarettes is under fire from antismoking activists because, they say, it blurs the line between advertising and editorial content — and worse yet, features cartoons.The insert was among several in the Nov. 15 issue, celebrating the magazine’s 40th anniversary. All the inserts were what the industry calls butterfly gates — ad pages on the outside, which unfold to reveal pages of articles inside.
In this instance, the Camel ads promoted a campaign and Web site devoted to “free range music” (thefarmrocks.com), which supports independent record labels. The article inside, “Indie Rock Universe,” presented lists of independent bands and fanciful illustrations of planets, animals and spaceships by Benjamin Marra.
“This is one great big cigarette ad,” said Matthew L. Myers, president of the organization, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in Washington.
Ah, but Ari: The New York Times is allowed to criticize Camel, because they don't run their ads. Unless they do, in which case that guy should shut up.
Also, "its print advertising in Rolling Stone."
Ari,
Will you ask your publisher to stop accepting Tobacco ad money? Will your publication stop co-sponsering shows with Camel?
Wake me up then.
the Murder City Devils played a Camel show in 2000 or so, they had to change the name to "the devils" or "MC Devils" or something for advertising purposes...i guess they didnt want Murder on the same poster as Camel for some reason
at any rate, the band was paid enough money to pay off their van from one show...
i would argue that if a tobacco company wants to pay an artist, or for that matter a club lots of money to play a show where cigarettes are marketed and sold, I can think of many worse beneficiaries of that money
hmm.. this makes me remember the CSS show earlier this summer. Wasn't that sponsored by The Farm? At the time I did not know what it was, and looking back on it, I don't remember a strong cigarette presence...
I don't believe our CSS show was a Farm show (it was all ages), but CSS have participated in other cities.
I hope all of the Rolling Stone readership has made up their mind about smoking cigarettes by now. I can't imagine anyone taking up smoking at 46(and I'm being generous).
Camel Sucks
Yes, Camel does suck, but your band still took their money.
Smooches!
How would anyone under 35 see something in Rolling Stone?
Rolling Stone sucks and no one can possibly be under the misconception that it's been cool in 30+ years. It is a pretty textbook example of how corporate ownership ruins all credibility though.
Bands should take what they can get. I am, on the other hand, happy to see cigarette ads banned from sports stadiums, but the public subsidizes those. The ban on smoking in bars probably more than offsets any encouragement that a crappy poster at a show could cause. Alright, I am a little on the fence here, but RS still sucks hard.
I think the youth of Rolling Stone's demo would surprise you. It's what you read when you are first getting into music, if you live in the suburbs. And it shows. . .they put Zac Efron, Fall Out Boy, and Maroon 5 on the cover lately.
They are on a throwback kick because it's their 40th Anniversary (and because the universe seems to be on a little bit of a throwback kick), but I think they can probably divide their demographic into two: old people reading for nostalgia and young people reading because they don't know better yet (what a perfect time to sell them cigarettes!).
Here's their demo specs: http://www.srds.com/mediakits/rollingstone/demographics.html
58 % are between the ages of 18-34. Median reader age is 31. (That's actually pretty young--The Stranger's is 35, most alt-weeklys are in the 40s.)
yeah. we took it. and we told everybody at the show that Camel Sucks. But i wasnt even told before the show that it was sposored by Camel . I didnt know till we got there or we wouldnt have agreed. I was pretty bummed that we were asked to play without being told it was a sponsored show.
SELLOUT! What's next, "Don't Fuck with the Horse" selling the new Ford Bronco?
I thought you stood for something ...
uhhh. whut? i think your joking...right.?
Ari you're ridiculous. Stranger runs Camel ads- how can you criticize them and take their money at the same time?
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