Ads that changed the way you think

The Marlboro Man certainly wasn't the first iconic advertising figure. The Marlboro Man transformed the brand into an ultra-masculine accessory In 1939, Coca-Cola helped create the modern image of a cheery, rotund, red-outfitted Santa Claus. Before that, representations of St Nick had ranged from skinny and creepy, to stern and downright scary

Ronald McDonald, like the Marlboro Man, is so recognisable that the product name need not be displayed.
But the Marlboro Man did something more. He transformed the Marlboro brand from a mild ladies' cigarette into a rugged, ultra-masculine accessory.

Unlike Ronald McDonald, men aspired to be the Marlboro Man. The campaign was wildly successful - Marlboro sales increased 300% in the two years after the ad debuted in 1955. "There is just a handful of ads ever created that have actually become more important than the product itself, that created wealth and built fortunes," Mr Garfield said

The Marlboro Man did that through the simple insight that a person's cigarette could speak to his or her self image. James Twitchell, author of 20 Ads that Shook the World, told the BBC that in addition, the Marlboro Man was an achievement because it found success at a time when Americans were learning that cigarettes were genuinely dangerous, addictive products that could kill you. "The Marlboro Man was strong, powerful. He never speaks. He's so tough," Mr Twitchell said. "The genius of the ad is that at the same time there was a rising realisation that this thing will kill you, it was identified with a character who was, on the face of it, indomitable." Sadly, the three actors who played the Marlboro Man died of lung cancer. One sued Phillip Morris and the cigarettes became known colloquially as "cowboy killers".

Smoking Men, Style and Life

Lindsay Lohan’s Tooth Decay Caused By Cigarettes

After examining the pictures that have emerged of Lindsay Lohan’s teeth, celebrity dentist Dr. Pankaj Singh, of Arch Dental Associates, in New York City, says, “This type of damage appears to be from a combination of smoking, drug use and lack of personal care.” Think the discoloration can be caused just by cigarettes? Dr. Singh begs to differ.

According to Dr. Singh, “smoking causes yellowing of the teeth, which we definitely see here in this picture. However, at such a young age, smoking wouldn’t cause the decay and browning you see around the gums. Damage like that is something we see in patients who are using or have used drugs.”

What kinds of drugs can cause this decay? Could marijuana cause the same types of decay as harder drugs?

“The answer is no,” says Dr. Singh, “marijuana and other drugs don’t affect the teeth the same way. Marijuana is smoked and so the heat generated from smoking causes inflammation which can cause damage to the soft tissue. However, drugs like cocaine, crack, meth all have acidic properties which is more destructive to the enamel which ultimately leads to decay.”