Analog Artifact Unearthed! Check out the Promotional Blank VHS that Came with a 3 Pack Purchase of Salem and Camel Cigarettes! VHSmokin’ Nostalgia, Videovores!
Here’s a little blast from the past that I just had to VHShare with all the Videovores here in Lunchmeat Land! While perusing the world weird web on my perpetual search for rewind-inclined goodies, I came across this little slab of analog advertisement from R. J. Reynolds / Salem cigarettes. In 1989, they ran a promotion for a free blank videotape with the purchase of 3 packs of their signature menthol smokes. Ah, the 80s and early 90s… just nothing quite like them, eh, Tapeheads?
And upon further inspection, it looks like whichever VHSmoker scored this freebie taped some Elvis stuff on this particular slab, AND they totally got a girl named Darlene’s digits as it’s written at the top of the tape case in pencil. Smooth, man. VHSmooth.
There it is! R.J. Reynolds was on top of that blank VHS game, man. Evidently Darlene was all about it, too. GOT THOSE DIGITS.
Cigarette manufacturer R.J. Reynolds also did a promotion with their Camel brand of cigarettes that was brought to my attention by @VHS_LIFE_ on Instagram (thanks, man!). Here’s a peek at that one.
The Camel version of the buy 3, get a tape free! Thanks to @vhs_life_ on Instagram for the killer image.
Even though this kind of cigarette marketing is now seen as totally tasteless and semi-taboo, you can’t help but get that tickle of nostalgia from these freebies, and it’s yet another piece of evidence proving that VHS was something that permeated the culture in nearly every way imaginable. VHSmoke 'em if you got 'em, Tapeheads!Groove and Groove and Stack that Camel Cash, man.
Josh Schafer