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
The Marlboro Man is finally dying, not from lung cancer, but rather government regulation. Fed up with the deaths the Marlboro Man had caused riding across the American West, President Clinton announced rules to hide the cowboy icon from children in 1996. 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). Nonetheless, the successful image and appeal of the Marlboro Man had made him the top advertising icon of the century. What will the West, or America, be like without his image? The Marlboro Man never gave any information about tobacco. He never once offered a fact based argument in favor of tobacco. Yet, he's the advertising icon of the century. Why? Is it the machismo and rugged persona? Possibly. Is it the idea of healthy men working in wholesome, scenic locales with fresh clean air? Possibly. Whatever the reasons, today's men smoke long, filter-tipped cigarettes without fear of being labeled prissy. Several other tobacco companies tried using cowboy ads with no success. Why? They used models. Marlboro used real cowboys. Even people who have never seen a real cowboy know that those men in the ads are real cowboys. Marlboro searches them out. Their occupation is etched into their faces and hands (Miller 1). ," and the most successful advertising campaign in history went underway (Carrier 1-2). Sales took off. 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). Though the beautiful ads disappeared from television in 1971 with a broadcast ban on tobacco products, the cowboy image translated well to billboards and magazine ads. The outdoor ads offered a large canvas and a bold impact. Billboards, such as the one featuring the Marlboro Man on the Sunset Strip gradually became part of the American landscape (Carrier 1). The cowboy, so embedded in America's self-image, was the perfect, positive icon. Jim Carrier, author of "Death of a salesman: Marlboro man bows out," comments on meeting many men who created a western image for themselves based on the Marlboro Man and many women who wanted to marry him. He feels both
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Approximate Word count = 1528
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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