RJR Agrees to Pull Joe Camel From Ads

Joe Camel, the smirking cartoon dromedary who became the incendiary focus of outrage over underage smoking, will be retired by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in what is being interpreted as a conciliatory gesture aimed at winning congressional approval of the giant tobacco truce.

Under terms of the $368.5-billion tobacco deal, cigarette makers would have to banish cartoon characters, like Joe, as well as all human likenesses from their ads. Although the move is not required unless Congress approves the deal, the country’s second-largest cigarette maker said Thursday that it will not wait to replace the beast.

It will yank Joe in favor of a new campaign that “we feel . . . will do very well in retaining our current adult smokers” and luring smokers of competing brands, spokesman Richard Williams said.

Williams said Reynolds is taking the step “for marketing reasons” and actually began considering Joe’s retirement in 1996--well before last month’s announcement of the tobacco settlement.

He acknowledged, however, “that the controversy that swirled around Joe Camel was part of the reason we began looking at alternative campaigns in the first place.”

During his stormy nine-year career as tobacco pitchman, Smokin’ Joe became a lightning rod for complaints about cigarette makers targeting minors to replace the millions of smokers who quit or die. His notoriety reflected the concern and befuddlement of health authorities and anti-smoking groups as they watched teenage smoking rise despite the country’s deepening anti-smoking mood.

Industry foes greeted the move as a goodwill gesture aimed at boosting prospects for congressional approval of the mammoth tobacco deal, which would settle pending state lawsuits and class-action claims and outlaw such cases in the future.

“This is not the last trinket that the tobacco industry is going to throw to the public,” said Greg Connolly, director of tobacco control for Massachusetts.

During the final weeks of tobacco peace negotiations, state attorneys general leading the talks repeatedly urged Reynolds “to voluntarily kill off Joe Camel as a sign of good faith,” recalled Matt Myers, executive vice president of the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, who took part in the negotiations.

“It would be easier if [Reynolds] said they were doing it because they were changing their corporate attitude about marketing to children--but they didn’t,” Myers said.

“The death of Joe Camel is important under any circumstances,” but “whether today’s action is that sign [of good faith] . . . depends on what their future advertising looks like,” he said.

Reynolds, which has consistently denied targeting kids, said its new Camel ads will use the slogan, “What You’re Looking For,” and will feature the image of a camel in a puff of smoke, the flame of a lighter or a watermark left by a drinking glass.

Reynolds executives said the move is not a promise to refrain from using Joe in foreign markets, where, they said, he now appears sparingly.

“Today’s announcement relates to . . . what we’re doing in the U.S.,” Reynolds spokesman Nat Walker said.

In some respects, the furor surrounding Joe was out of proportion to his success in selling smokes.

His introduction in 1988 did halt the nose-dive of a brand that was once the country’s top seller but had long been in decline. Even so, during Joe’s reign, Camel has mainly treaded water, growing modestly from a 4.3% market share in 1987 to 5% during the first quarter of this year.

By contrast, while Joe was taking the heat, the market share of Philip Morris Cos.’ powerhouse Marlboro brand was growing from 1988 to 1996 by more than 6 percentage points to 32%. Another R.J. Reynolds’ label, discount- brand Doral, registered much bigger gains than Camel, said Darryl Jayson, vice president of the Tobacco Merchants Assn.

But Joe, who wore shades, drove cool cars and blew a mean saxophone, was a hit with kids. According to federal government estimates, Camel had been a nothing brand among underage smokers, preferred in 1987 by less than 3% of those under 18. By 1993, however, Camel had 13% to 16% of this illegal market.

His expression and outsize schnoz became fixtures not only on billboards, but also on T-shirts, jackets and other items coveted by youths. In a 1991 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Assn., Joe finished in a tie with Mickey Mouse among symbols most often recognized by children 3 to 6 years old.

Created by a British illustrator, the cartoon Joe originally appeared in the 1970s in advertising in France. His U.S. invasion in 1988 coincided with the 75th birthday of the venerable Camel brand.

By the end, Joe had metamorphosed from camel to albatross--not only for Reynolds, but also for the whole industry--as critics turned from word to deed in their attacks.

On May 28, the Federal Trade Commission formally charged Reynolds with using Joe to target underage smokers and voted to ask an administrative law judge for a cease-and-desist order barring use of the cartoon camel. Reynolds bitterly denounced the move and just last month filed a lawsuit in federal court in North Carolina to block the FTC.

It appears that Thursday’s announcement by itself won’t end the litigation. Although “gratified” by Reynolds’ action, Jodie Bernstein, the FTC’s director of consumer protection, said in a prepared statement that she hoped to meet with company executives “to discuss the remaining issues in this litigation.”

Among other things, the FTC still wants Reynolds to sign an agreement forbidding any comeback by Joe.

Walker, the Reynolds spokesman, said the company would not respond to the FTC’s statement.

“I think we’ll wait to hear from them,” he said.