Camel has been changing its advertising agency again, and its strategy. It’s always had such a powerful brand icon: the camel.

Kids loved it, law makers hated it

But in the 90s the funny campaign used across Europe came under fire from the authorities for attracting children – a no-no in this controversial market. So, sadly for many of us who don’t smoke but enjoyed the fun of the campaigns, out went the camel.

 

Teaser – “this will soon change..”

Simultaneously, the camel brand – that had been used to launch fashion articles and move sideways into clothing – split off. Branding clothing with a name known for cigarettes could be controversial in the long term. So the Camel Collection and Boots and all those other see-through-marketing products were repositioned under “camel active”.

 

 

 

 

 

Solution – no camel, hard man

If you ask me, the baby went out with the bath water. It left nothing behind. May he continue to stomp on those cigarette ashes. Or are they coals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abandoned “samey” Camel relaunch

Around the same time JT international had a bit of a brand rethink and relaunched Camel everywhere as a sort of chill-out, relax, hey-hip I’m cool lifestyle brand. Well, that didn’t last long. Why? Probably because it’s replaceable? This ad could be for family planning, a holiday company, a bank (condemnation enough), shoes, life insurance, yawn. Realising their mistake the company took a spectacular U-turn and brought back the camel.

Back to the roots of Discover More

This is where they’ve got to now.

It’s based on the classic international direction, only this time coughed up again by Saatchi (back to the roots of “Discover more”).

 

The German version has a tagline that translates as “The beginning of an inspiration”. We’ll see: