The Marlboro Man
He's a symbol of rugged individualism, masculinity, and the American West. In the history of advertising images, he stands alone at the top. How big is the Marlboro Man? Bigger than anybody ever dreamed up to promote a product. He was ranked number one on the top then list of icons of the 20th century, according to a special issue of Advertising Age magazine (Wilson 1). Though the choice of the Marlboro Man as the most significant icon of the century has enraged the anti-smoking brigade, the cowboy's role in establishing Marlboro as the world's top selling cigarette is without a doubt. This paper will explore the appeal of the top advertising icon of the century, as well as provide a glimpse into the history of its creation, sale and advertising statistics, and anti-smoking opposition. For decades, Philip Morris pitched its filtered cigarette to women, even coloring the tips rose to hide lipstick stains. The product failed, and marketing a filtered cigarette for men seemed impossible. Then advertising executive Leo Burnett took over. On a Saturday morning in December 1954, Burnett called his top creative people to his country farmhouse outside of Chicago to change the image from a ladies' cigarette to a man's. Ph
It took almost a decade of experimenting with different kinds of masculine images to realize that cowboys had the most lasting and positive impact on consumers. A handful of some of the hundreds of those who posed as Marlboro Men in the early ad campaign have died of cigarette related illnesses (Carrier 1). " Nine percent of young adults aged 18-29 reported liking the Marlboro Man ads "a lot," compared to eleven percent of 30-39 year olds, eighteen percent of 40-49 year-olds, and six percent among those 50 and older. Marlboro sales soared 3,241 percent the next year, and by 1972 it outsold every other brand in the world (Madison Avenue's Marlboro Man 1). This is especially true for kids who are searching for identity. Yet, he's the advertising icon of the century. The question is what harm has this done? The anti-smoking brigade believes that it has caused much harm, and they argue that this symbol of rugged independence is just a hopeless addict. Subsequently, because the baby boomers aged, Marlboro became the most popular brand among adults (Tobacco Industry and Underage Youth Smoking 1). Whatever the reasons, today's men smoke long, filter-tipped cigarettes without fear of being labeled prissy. As part of a Philip Morris Product Testing Short Course in the Research and Development Division, the success of Marlboro is explained: "Marlboro floundered for eight years and then a hit a responsive chord among postwar baby boom teenagers with the theme from the Magnificent Seven and an image uncalculated right for the wave of teenagers coming of age" (Tobacco Industry and Underage Youth Smoking 1). Thirty-nine percent of respondents familiar with the campaign judged the advertisements to be "effective. Forty-two years after his creation, the Marlboro Man came down from his billboards, scoreboards, doorways, and double-page spreads in Sports Illustrated (Carrier 2).
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