Case study - Marlboro Cigarettes Advertising

As a case study I looked into the history of the images used in the Marlboro ad campaigns and the techniques in which they used to persuade people into buying into their products and company.

In 1955 when the Marlboro man campaign first started, Marlboro sales were at $5 Billion, by the time he retired in 1957 sales were up to $20 Billion, a rise of 300% in just 2 years. This sales increase was largely due to the images used in the ads and their effects and connotations they made on their viewers. These figures also support the principle that images play a major role in persuading us as viewers in to buying the products they are pushing in the advertising industry.

The first Marlboro cowboy was chosen based on the fact that he scared the hell out of the director for Phillip Morris when he first saw him out on the ranch.

Little did he know, He would soon become the face that would temp so many young men into a life time of smoking which in many cases would eventually lead to severe health problems in the future and eventual death. Marlboro used the very popular at the time and patriotic symbol of the American Cowboy to send the message to its ad viewers that smoking Marlboro will give you a taste of the very desirable cowboy lifestyle.  They glorified the Marlboro Cowboy and made suggestions and signified that their product would offer their buyers a sense of the freedom of the range, freedom, an escape from their normal city lifestyles and the frill of the great American west.

They shot the cowboys with a stern expression using hard lighting to accentuate his wrinkles and strong facial features to show off his masculinity so that the viewers might look up to him. They used a low camera angle that meant that without even realising it, the viewers are already under the impression that they are physically looking up to him which gives the cowboy great status and power over us. It subconsciously suggests that he is an Alpha male and one to be followed, if he is smoking Marlboro then so should I.

The Marlboro cowboy is often shot wearing a shirt which match’s the same colour as the colour on the packet it is advertising. This again subconsciously persuades the viewer to associate the cowboy with the brand.

Trees and water are used in the images for menthol cigarettes as elements to signify the freshness and taste of the product. Similarly the energy and feel to the images used coincide with the taste and concept of the cigarette flavours them selves. The Marlboro Red campaigns depicted men riding horses with lots of energy and gestures that suggest that the horse is going very fast. This acts as a symbol that “Reds” are the stronger tasting, full action cigarettes for men. The ad’s for Marlboro lights however depicted a cowboy riding at a much more leisurely pace which gave the viewer the sense that the product had a softer flavour. 

As well as using the American identity and national pride depicting landscape shots of the great American west the Marlboro Country ad’s also challenged men’s genitalia size making sexual references to both the penis and vagina inline with the common advertising notion that “sex sells”. 

Many may not notice all these advertising tricks but they are certainly effective in persuading us as viewers into believing their ideals. Smoking ad’s are no longer allowed in the UK so Marlboro can’t use their cowboy campaign anymore but it certainly brought in a lot of money whilst it lasted.

 It must be considered a great success in terms of financial gain but from a health aspect, it is a massive shame that so many people were lured into the habit of smoking through such campaigns.