1. There is a lot of black and dark blue in the ad.
2. The characters are all men, and are wearing black bowler hats and black suits.
3. Black is a color traditionally associated with mourning and death.
4. The clothing worn by the men would not be out of place at a funeral, or to dress dead bodies for display in open coffins and eventual burial.
5. The suited men all have their backs to us.
6. They are hanging stiffly and lifelessly from numbers.
7. The planet too appears dark and lifeless, no visible clouds or lights.
8. There is red and yellow just above the planet's horizon, colors usually seen at sunset, the traditional "death" of the day.
9. The numbers appear to be carrying the men off the planet and into the sky (i.e. in the direction most people associate with heaven).
10. The ad copy indicates that the numbers represent the tar content of different low-tar cigarettes.
11. The message seems to be quite clear, "Cigarettes will take you to heaven."