This image is an ad that was produced by the Zippo Lighter Company in 1966. It was part of an operation to instill the idea of dependability and quality in their brand. The image is displayed in black and white with a very war propaganda feel. From the left, the image of a man's hand protrudes holding a lit Zippo lighter, its flame extending to the top of the image. These two things make up the heart of the image, everything else is a murky blackness. To the right of this is a much contrasted white text block which reads: "This Zippo stopped an enemy bullet in Vietnam. It still works today." At this point, if you already did not notice the bullet hole on the side of cap, you do now. The indentation is very small yet clearly resembles a bullet mark. The rest of the lighter is very polished and chrome looking, it has no design or inscription; it is perfectly blank.
The strongest and most recognizable symbol in the ad is the lighter. Throughout the many wars that America has seen, Zippo lighters have found a certain place in the hearts of many. James Dean, Frank Sinatra, and many other iconic figures of our times were portrayed lighting up their cigarettes with their Zippo lighters. Zippo lighters became a phenomenon in Hollywood movies giving these figures an air of sophistication. While many people associate these lighters with sophisticated men in suits they hold a strong position with men in the army. Ernie Pyle, a WW II correspondent was recorded on August 7th, 1944 saying this: “If I were to tell you how much these Zippos are coveted at the front and the gratitude and delight with which the boys receive them, you would probably accuse me of exaggeration. I truly believe that the Zippo lighter is the most coveted thing in the army.” Zippo's were considered a very prized possession when life at war was a temporarily existence in a trench. "Many soldiers customized their Zippo lighters, scratching in names, places, images, and messages of all kinds that suggest their hopes, dreams, fears and longings." (Zippo Website) Zippo lighters were mass produced all throughout WWII and quickly gained popularity within the armed forces. They became a shining beacon of trust and hardiness during and after WWII. It was not only a device to light cigarettes; it was used for any and all other miscellaneous tasks on the battlefield. This ad is displaying the essence of dependability. The overall image is strictly focused upon furthering Zippo's image as a lifelong dependable brand. In fact, on Zippo's website, they boast that if you break your Zippo, you can send it to them and they will either fix or replace it for free.
In the image, a masculine hand holding the lighter is very appropriate because this is the audience that they are trying to reach. Zippo is targeting men, preferably smoking men, to buy their product. The target demographic for this ad are men in the military, whether they are still serving our country or retired. Zippo uses a special technique to cater towards this demographic. The style of presentation suggests a rallying of wartime effort. The very design of the ad is similar to other wartime propaganda ads. They use this appearance to play on our positive patriotic response to banners and posters of this nature. Usually when we see an example of war propaganda, it is about rationing food or buying war bonds; things that will help America survive the war. After all, what true citizen wouldn't want to help America? So without even knowing it, the general public already has a pre-programmed idea of approval into their response to viewing this image. Zippo are directly correlating their company with the American government. Zippo uses this technique to their advantage; they are attempting to guilt trip you. If you are going to buy a lighter, why waste your money on any other brand? Why not spend your hard earned dollars on something that you believe in? That you know will last "forever"? Zippo has long seen the value in doing the simple things right. They know that real quality and service will earn themselves a good reputation in time. Therefore, when selecting a color scheme for their ad, it would make sense that they use timeless black and white. The black and white theme does a great job of laying out a very simple yet powerful feel. The black in the picture symbolizes the unknown. Extending out of the unknown with sharp contrast is a hand holding a burning lighter. The hand and lighter are a much brighter shade of gray and white. The flame noticeably being the brightest object stands to be symbolic for strength and hope. Throughout history fire has been a symbol of light and direction. For some soldiers, their Zippo lighter was all they had to look to. The simple pleasure of smoking a cigarette was highly valued when you didn't know if you were going to make it through the day. Soldiers made engravings of theirs hopes and dreams into their lighters to help keep their mind off things and to express their individualism. For each soldier that had a Zippo lighter, it gave a sense of identity to their very soul. Because engravings and inscriptions were so popular on lighters at the time of this ad, it makes me wonder why they choose a blank, very generic lighter to be the poster child. Perhaps, they are trying appeal to the potential that the owner will customize it in their own personal way? If they had put an inscription on it, it would have limited the extent of individuality and not have been as inviting to all.
Throughout time the flame has stood to remember and symbolize those that we have lost. The flame stands conquer the darkness and bring warmth to those in need of it. In Washington Square in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier memorial is never without a burning flame. The tomb features the inscription: "Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness." At this site, a flame burns twenty-four-seven. This eternal flame, as it is called, is a beacon of remembrance to those souls lost in the battle for the freedom of our country. It unites all soldiers with a sense of hope and struggle for freedom. Each Zippo carried in the pocket of a soldier is like their own eternal flame. After all, Zippos have a lifetime guarantee. They directly link each soldier to one another while still allowing for their own sense of individualism.
We see to the right of the flame, the highly contrasted text displays a message of dependability. A soldier is talking about his experiences at war, one he might not have made it out of without his Zippo. The voice appears to be from a war veteran who has had first hand experience with the durability of a Zippo lighter. The text is concise but drives the message home hard. In this manner, the voice sounds more credible and authoritative. The statement leaves a kind of mystery hanging in the air; one that causes us to wonder more about that particular soldier's experiences. Maybe it was shot out of his hand while he was lighting a cigarette? Or was it snug in his pocket when it protected his body from an enemy bullet? We will never know. However, we do know that the text suggests passage of time along with a wealth of experience from the frontline of battle. It immediately relates to any soldier that has any kind of combat experience. Men that have served in the military identify with these types of things greatly and are subconsciously drawn to agree with the ad simply because of their past or present experience. Zippo knows this and likes it. They latch on to the fact because real tough men in the military like their lighters and other people's approval follow in suite. This is great for business and great for their image. Their relationship with the armed forces is a win-win situation. All in all, Zippo wants you to be their customer for life. They want you to buy into the fact that owning a Zippo is patriotic and American. This image was one of many like it during this time and all portrayed great quality and service each in a very patriotic way. Zippo embraces the image of the eternal flame as a company and lifelong friend. Their message has been and will always be in favor of quality and dependability. So the next time you feel the need to buy one of those polluting disposable lighters take a step further to the right and ask the cashier to see one of those "diamonds" out of the shiny glass case.
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