client: RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company
improvement: Joe Camel
date: January 26, 1996
Special Communiqué from the BLF Ministry of Propaganda
*****DESTROY AFTER READING*****
The Billboard Liberation Front has undertaken this action as a gesture of public support for the heroic executives of R.J. Reynolds in their valiant struggle against the dark forces of regulatory oppression. By dramatizing the plight of Joe Camel, outdoor advertising’s most endangered species, we express our outrage at those who would plot Joe’s extinction, and vigorously proclaim our solidarity with RJR in its valiant struggle to keep this beloved cultural icon alive.
We unconditionally pardon RJR for its brief lapse of strength in October, when it stumbled on the path of Truth and announced that it would “voluntarily” remove Joe from outdoor advertising; we heartily applaud its decision to reconsider, retrench and hold firm. Besieged by authoritarian do-gooders, pestered by nuisance lawsuits, is it any wonder that this valiant corporation’s mighty moral compass might fail? We see its subsequent policy reversal not as a failure of spirit, but rather as a monumental triumph of the will.
We must remain strong. Government must not be allowed to filter the pure essence of Joe Camel. To us, he is a class-A hero, with more clout than the Surgeon General and a hell of a lot more style. Shall we let him be slaughtered by a pack of humorless bureaucratic trophy hunters, who in their entire withered bodies can’t muster half the cool that Joe sports in his smooth, seductive snout? What do they know about life and death? About risk? Joe cannot be killed. He has a life of his own, firmly embedded in the fabric of popular myth and adored by children everywhere. Smooth, sexy, and oh so cool. We are disgusted by the FDA’s proposals to limit outdoor advertising to black and white text. Is not the urban landscape bleak enough? Joe Camel is a dash of color, a splash of savoir-faire in an otherwise dull and dreary world. More importantly, he is an icon, a hero, a role model for America’s youth. Joe is more than just a cigarette spokescamel; he’s the high-living, high-stepping voice of a generation. A Mickey Mouse for our times, symbolizing all that we hold dear: the fast life, the good life, cool sax music and pocket billiards.
We encourage RJR to expand Joe’s presence to its other product lines. Joe Camel for Grey Poupon! A Nabisco Joe Camel breakfast cereal, with its attendant Saturday morning cartoon! Before the media and the world, we solemnly pledge our support, our lives, and our sacred honor in this vital struggle – until we draw our last breath.
Joe lives! Long live Joe!
Blank DeCoverly
Acting Minister of Propaganda