OUGD 601 - Practical - Brief/ Rationale EXTENDED VERSION

For the practical side of the CoP3 project the aim has been to synthesise the research findings from the written study­ with a designed practical outcome. 

I have chosen to adopt past strategies employed by tobacco advertisers to raise awareness of a 'revolutionary' e-cigarette (that is being faltered by contemporary health labels). Through my dissertation it was continually illustrated that, the ability of tobacco advertisers to react to cultural and social change was striking. With this in mind, I wanted to demonstrate that the subculture, E-cigarettes, can also employ such strategies to work in a contemporary social climate. This idea builds on the end part of my dissertation, by the fact that E-cigarettes are already adopting past strategies of tobacco advertisers in their emergence.

Just as cigarettes were, when they first became socialised, e-cigarettes are seen to be healthy in some aspects, this is due to how new they are and the availability of findings to support claims of them being unhealthy (As demonstrated in my dissertation) My practical illustrates how the emergence of the E-cig has been effected by the rise of the tobacco industry and how they manage to react to experiences encountered in the changing pace of culture.

Practical, Scenerio;

Part 1i) Health regulators have learned from the way e-cigarettes are advertising and 'recycling the past' of tobacco advertisers and thus created a more direct and shocking health label to try and abolish the idea that smoking electronic cigarettes is in some way beneficial. Introducing such new health labels for the e-cig demonstrates a progression on behalf of the health regulators, as they've learned from the tactics of the tobacco industry who were continually faltering such claims that it was damaging to health. Demonstrating an application of theory.

Part 2) However now the C2 has emerged, and it is pitching the male audience. Just as 'Torches of Freedom' created equality for females. The C2 aims to give back the mastery of the phallus to the male. Promoting ideas of: oral pleasure, the ideal man, bravado,  a mastery of the phallus (cigar).

Part 1ii) After the C2's release, the health regulators decided to step in again and stop this scapegoating that was so prevalent in the history of tobacco advertising, and judging by the way e-cig is following suit, health regulators thought the best way would be too create a health label primarily for C2 - the health label represents a direct attack on the messages that are trying to be portrayed by C2. The intentions where to stop this e-cig becoming a form of symbolism for the modern man. Drawing reference from the idea that it represents a phallus and challenging ideas that it won't be standing tall like the subliminal ideas suggest behind C2's identity.

In terms of deliverables, I wanted to design, using only applicable mediums. Throughout my dissertation I discovered that the e-cig was heavily promoted through the ever increasing size of the internet and point of sale displays. It was taking advantage of modern forms of communication just as tobacco advertisers had done during its early days (mass production). In light of this, I created a web prescence that was applied to modern forms of communication, and used outdoor promotions and point of sale techniques to encourage the identity among society. Creating a leaflet, publication, poster designs and packaging ideas.

Due to the fact that C2 was a contemporary e-cigarette brand, trying to permeate ideas of the ideal man and a mastery of the phallus greater than women. The identity had to coincide with these messages. Which is why I created a very modern symbol that looked like an e-cigarette with smoke emitting. BUT also looked like a phallus which represented oral desire. The ideas of the ideal man were permeated through the advertisements, depicting a cool character who men would aspire to. 

The name C2 was chosen because it not only represents the technological aspect of the electronic cigarette. But it also refers to the fact it is a sub-culture and is the second cigarette. Furthermore the web aspect that C2 is predominately promoted through will bear the following web name: www.C2thefuture.com.