Case Study- "The Marlboro Man"

The most famous brand archetype success of all time is also the most documented.

In 1924, Philip Morris introduces Marlboro cigarettes as a brand for women, milder and filtered to contrast with the stronger unfiltered brands smoked by most men. The filter was even printed with a red band to hide lipstick marks. The original tagline for the brand was 'Mild as May'.

By 1954, the world had changed, and smokers reconsidered their love of unfiltered cigarettes. This led Marlboro to consider how to leverage its safer filtered cigarette to a wider audience, leading to the creation of the 'Marlboro man' by Leo Burnett. The iconic image of the Marlboro man led to one of the greatest U-turns in branding history, and was found in response to Leo Burnett's question, 'What's the most masculine symbol that you can think of?' to which one of his writers said 'a cowboy'. The ad campaign was launched in 1955 and within two years had increased US sales from 5 billion to 20 billion. Marlboro was the leading global brand by 1972 and is still the number one cigarette brand.

The new image appealed to both men and women, embodying independence, defiance, adventure and authenticity, a combination of Explorer and Rebel, drawing on the mythology of the US Wild West frontier. The imagery taps into human universal themes, creating connections to strongly embedded associations with the American West and the cowboy films and TV shows were popular as the brand grew.

Jerome Bruner wrote that in classic information theory a message is considered informative 'if it reduces alternative choices'. The power of archetypes is to access elaborate networks of associated memories that come from our cultural as well as personal memories. When these networks are aligned with our individual goals, they help us to close down other choices and focus on the brands that are most mentally available, as long as they are physically available to us at the right time.

Marlboro wanted a way to reassure male customers that its cigarettes weren't a hazard to their health. In 1954, the brand launched a filtered cigarette that was believed, at the time, to reduce the amount of tar and other toxic chemicals that a smoker inhaled. But filtered cigarettes were also seen as weaker and less flavorful.

"At the time, there was an attitude that the only people who smoked filters were women and sissy men," Jackleg said. "The notion was to show that a real macho, rugged man could smoke filters."

The Marlboro Man helped reinforce the idea that filtered cigarettes could be masculine.

Before settling on the cowboy, Marlboro tested many different tropes of masculinity, including sailors, football players, and airline pilots.

"They wanted to have a filter brand that was more lifestyle-oriented," Jackleg said. "This paper-wrapped, shredded tobacco leaf was everything to everyone. It was an essential part of daily life. "That was true despite the fact that not all Americans resembled the Marlboro Man. "There's a real genius to it," Jackleg said. "Very few people are Marlboro Men, but people resonate with what the Marlboro Man represents." Many of these ads prominently displayed the men's military tattoos.

Every single one of them had a tattoo on their hand," Jackleg said of the early Marlboro Men. The advertisements, he added, "were meant to show masculine men doing what masculine men do." The cowboy was by far the most popular figure. He symbolized a rugged individualism that appealed to many Americans heading into the 1960s.

"The Marlboro Man actually ended up appealing to young people and women, as well," Jackleg said. "The whole idea of the individualistic, independent cowboy is one that doesn't have to listen to what some prissy government bureaucrat is telling him to about his smoking." The Marlboro Man was also the portrait of physical health and strength despite what research suggested about smoking and lung cancer.

"The connotation of these ads is, 'Not only am I rugged and masculine, but I'm in control of my own. Nobody's going to tell me what to and I don't have to listen to those doctors and public-health people,'" Jackleg said.

 Q2. Read the above case description carefully and also watch the advertisement available at the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wibHcZ4FNbU Also watch -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3mlO2bzHV8. Besides these, examine other ads from 1950s - Present of the Marlboro brand and create a brand personality profile of the brand using Aaker's brand personality dimensions. Which archetypes' characteristics does the brand represent according to the 'Brand Asset Valuator Archetypes. Q.3. Also discuss the brand personality in terms of gender roles. What is the brand trying to do with respect to gender stereotypes?