Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Marlboro Man


Marlboro man is an American cowboy and the main character of Marlboro country - the best cigarette advertisement of the century, world-famous cigarette advertisement character, masculine trademark and macho icon.
Marlboro man is the ad character used by tobacco producer Philip Morris for Marlboro cigarettes sale, which in fact was initially a ladies' smoking brand.
The history of Marlboro man began in 1954. The father of Marlboro Man was Leo Burnet - an advertising agent. P. Morris Tobacco Company has introduced an innovation in Marlboro cigarette production that has lead to a fundamental shift in the brand's target group.
Marlboro have became a male cigarette. But, it wasn’t easy to escape the female image that accompanied this tobacco product. They were likely to be referred to as “sissy” cigarettes.
It was Burnet who purposed the advertisement of the new Marlboro cigs. While searching for a solution, Leo was brainstorming: “What is a masculine symbol people can think of?” The answer came from the Cimarron Ranch in wild New Mexico, the country of “real cowboys on horses”.
The final scene of Marlboro cig ad contained a rugged cowboy who smoked a Marlboro cigarette surrounded by wild nature.
Using this fantastic image, the legendary cigarette advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes has begun. In 1972, this tobacco ad brought Marlboro cigs the rank of world best-selling tobacco product. And the most famous too. Every image of a cowboy, western landscape and/or red color reminded of the Marlboro trademark no matter whether these images were accompanied by the slogan or not.
Marlboro man living in Marlboro country has become the symbol of freedom, liberty and independence. The famous cowboy was placed first on the list of “101 most influential people who never lived” in Imaginary Luminaries. He is also considered “the brand image of the century”.
The role of Marlboro man was played by famous people like: actor and author William Thourlby (the first Marlboro Man), Quarterback Charley Conerly, Darrell Winfield, Dick Hammer, Brad Johnson, Bill Dutra, Dean Myers, Robert Norris, Wayne McLaren, David McLean and Tom Mattox.