The Marlboro Cowboy , or the Marlboro Man , is an image used in the advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes. In the United States, it was used from 1954 to 1999. The image of the cowboy Marlboro was coined by Leo Burnett, an advertiser from Chicago in 1954. He is a stern cowboy (or several cowboys) with a cigarette against the backdrop of nature. Advertising was originally conceived as a way to popularize filter cigarettes, which at that time were considered intended for women.
The Marlboro advertising campaign, developed by Leo Burnett Worldwide , is considered one of the most prominent advertising campaigns of all time. [1] Cigarettes for women with the slogan “Soft as May” in a few months became cigarettes for men. Cowboy Marlborough was embodied by people of various courageous professions, but the image of a cowboy was the most popular. This led to the Marlboro Cowboy (Marlboro cowboy) and Marlboro Country (Marlboro Country) campaigns. [2]
Actor William Thourlby was the first Marlboro cowboy. The models depicting the Marlboro cowboy were: New York Giants quarterback Charley Conerly, Jim Patton, Darrell Winfield, Dick Hammer, Brad Johnson, Bill Dutra, Dean Myers, Robert Norris, Wayne McLaren , David McLeany, Tom Mattox and Smith, William . George Lazenby , the actor who played James Bond in Her Majesty's Secret Service , was a Marlboro cowboy in Europe. [3] Cowboy Marlborough won first place in the book “101 Most Influential Non-existent Persons” (USA, 2006) [4] .
Appearance
Philip Morris initially introduced Marlboro as a brand of women's cigarettes in 1924. Since the early 1950s, the cigarette industry has begun to focus on promoting filter cigarettes, in response to new scientific evidence about the dangers of smoking. Marlborough, like other brands, began to be sold with a filter. However, filter cigarettes, in particular Marlborough , were considered female cigarettes. [5] Executive advertising director Leo Burnett was looking for a new image, with the invention of which the Philip Morris Marlborough brand will enter the mass market. In particular, Philip Morris believed that the best market is "post-teen children who are just starting to smoke, seeing this as a way to declare their independence from their parents." [6] Most ad campaigns for filter cigarettes from other manufacturers emphasized that the filter reduces the risk of smoking. Leo Burnett in an advertisement for Marlboro decided to argue that filter cigarettes do not pose a health hazard at all. He believed that reasoning about the effectiveness of filters only reinforced concerns about the long-term effects of smoking. Burnet came up with the idea of using the image of a cowboy in 1949, when he came across the photos in the Life magazine, shot by Leonard McComb, and the story of the Texas cowboy Clarence Hailey Long . [7] Marlboro’s advertisements also used images of other male professions, such as sea captains, athletes, and gunsmiths, [5] but over time, the image of the cowboy Marlboro was fixed to the cowboys.
Results
The use of the Marlboro cowboy campaign had a very significant and immediate effect on sales. In 1955 (the beginning of the campaign) sales were at the level of 5 billion dollars, and by 1957 they had already reached 20 billion dollars. The success of Philip Morris in dispelling fears that smoking is harmful to health has demonstrated the strong ability of mass marketing to influence consumers. [eight]
The success of the Marlboro cowboy campaign led to imitation, for example Chesterfield portrayed the cowboy and other male professions in accordance with their slogan "Man of America." [9]
Criticism
Four of the men who appeared in Marlboro ads - Wayne Maclaren , David Maclean, Dick Hammer and Eric Lawson - died of lung cancer , including from smoking Marlboro cigarettes, notably Marlboro Red, nicknamed the “Lung Killer”. [10] Maclaren testified in favor of anti-tobacco legislation at the age of 51. During McLaren’s anti-smoking campaign, Philip Morris denied that McLaren had ever appeared in a Marlborough commercial. In response, Maclaren prepared a written statement from the agency that represented him, which stated that he was paid for his work in Marlborough. Maclaren died before his 52nd birthday in 1992. [11] [12] [13]
See also
- Wayne McLaren
- Harley Davidson and Cowboy Marlborough
- They smoke here (film)
Notes
- ↑ Katie Connolly . Six ads that changed the way you think , BBC (3 January 2011).
- ↑ Vintage Ads: 1975 Marlboro Country ad campaign
- ↑ George Lazenby - Biography
- ↑ Published a list of the most influential fictional characters | podrobnosti.ua
- ↑ 1 2 Brandt, A. (2006). The Cigarette Century. New York: Basic Books.
- ↑ Barry, AM (1997). Visual Intelligence: Perception, Image and Manipulation in Visual Communications. Albany: State University of New York Press.
- ↑ Clarence Hailey Long
- ↑ Roman, K. (2009). The Kings of Madison Avenue. New York: St. Martins Press.
- ↑ Moellinger, T., & Craig, S. (nd). So Rich, So Mild, So Fresh: A Critical Look at TV Cigarette Commercials: 1948-1971.
- ↑ Turning morons into millionaires , Herald-Journal. Accessed November 18, 2007.
- ↑ May 28, 2001 Malboro Manslaughter , Urban Legends Reference Pages . Accessed July 28, 2005.
- ↑ Dead or Alive? . Accessed July 28, 2005
- ↑ In the United States, the fourth Marlboro Man Died of lung cancer . NTV (01/27/2014).