Life, 1929-06-07 · page 35 of 48
Life — June 7, 1929 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes Lucky Strike cigarettes using several persuasion tactics common to 1920s-30s advertising: **Key Claims:** - Lucky Strikes are "toasted" (allegedly a secret process removing impurities) - 20,679 physicians endorse toasting as healthful - The tagline "No Throat Irritation—No Cough" implies cigarettes are medically safe **Marketing Strategy:** The ad includes a photograph of a man identified as an "International Journalist" (signature appears to read "Herbert Bayard Swope"), lending credibility through celebrity endorsement. The phrase "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet" targets weight-conscious consumers, particularly women concerned with maintaining "a slender figure." **Context for Modern Readers:** This represents pre-FDA regulation era advertising, when cigarette companies made unsubstantiated health claims and cited dubious "physician" statistics. Such advertising would be illegal today.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life e e e No “Whispering Campaign”... . can withstand the light of this truth: Lucky Strikes are made from the finest of fine tobaccos—the cream of the crop. Lucky Strikes alone are toasted because toasting is a secret process. 20,679 physicians definitely state that toasting removes impurities. Then, too, it adds to the flavor and prevents throat irrita- tion. Therefore, without fear of contradiction, we can say truthfully: “No cigarette, regardless of price, is as good as Luckies whether manu- factured by The American Tobacco Company or by any other company.” H tHe ngures quoted have been checked and certified to a by LYBRAND, ROSS BROS, (SIGNED) AND MONTGOMERY, Account- ants and Auditors, “It’s toasted” No Throat Irritation- No Cough. The Lucky Strike Dance Orchestra will continue every Saturday night in a coast to coast radio hook-up over the N. B.C. network. To maintain a slender figure, no one can deny the truth of the advice: “REACH FOR A LUCKY INSTEAD OFA SWEET.” comicbooks.com