TOP 100 AD CAMPAIGNSLeo Burnett Co.’s Marlboro Man

1955 and on

Anna Nelson | History of Advertising | October 2016

THE

MARLBORO

MANRanked #3 in Ad Age’s

Top 100 Advertising

Campaigns

Created by Leo Burnett

1955

LEO BURNETT CO.

• Founded in 1935 by Leo Burnett, who was named in

1999 by Time magazine as one of the 100 most

influential people of the 20th century.

• Following the stock market crash of 1929, Leo Burnett

started with a working capital of just $50,000, eight

employees, and three clients.

• For the first several years, the company had billings of

only around $1 million.

LEO BURNETT CO.

• 1950: $22 million

• 1954: $55 million

• 1960: $100 million

Marlboro Man campaign began

ICONIC CAMPAIGNS

• Tony the Tiger

• Charlie the Tuna

• Maytag Repairman

• United Airlines “Fly the Friendly Skies”

• AllState’s “Good Hands”

• McDonald’s, Hallmark, Coca-Cola

AMERICA IN THE 50’S

• Korean War ended in 1953

• Eisenhower President for

two terms

• Anti-communist mentality

• Strong unions- half the

workforce in one

• Politics moderate

• Consumerism king

PHILIP MORRIS AND

MARLBOROS• First introduced

Marlboros as a women’s

cigarette in 1924- “Mild

as May.”

• Emerging scientific data

about health risks of

smoking gave rise to the

promotion of filtered

cigarettes.

• Filters were a way to

settle the fears- “safer

cigarette.”

HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.CO

M/WATCH?V=GALMX2BO5P

S

ORIGINS• Burnett felt making claims about a

safer cigarette would further

concerns about health risks by

reminding the customer about

them.

• Inspiration came from 1949 issue of

Life magazine featuring story of

Texas Cowboy Clarence Hailey

Long.

• The Americana theme proved

popular with cowboys, astronauts

and army men in the first Marlboro

Men campaigns.

• Popularized by actor Paul Birch in

magazine and TV ads.

LEO BURNETT• Dramatic realism and the soft sell to build brand loyalty and

equity.

• Believed in finding the “inherent drama” in products and using

the emotional response and experience connection to relate to

consumer.

• Used cultural archetypes that represented American values.

• Was known for keeping a folder in his lower left hand drawer

of his desk labelled “Corny Language” that contained words

and phrases that he felt portrayed a feeling of honesty and

drove home a clear point.

RESPONSE

• Real cowboys, rodeo

riders and stuntmen

were used in the

Marlboro Country

campaign.

• Sales 1955: $5 billion

• Sales 1957: $20 billion

RESPONSE• Campaign imitated by Old Golds and

Chesterfield

• 1972 Marlboro was the top cigarette brand

in the country

• Four Marlboro Men have died from

smoking related diseases

• So effective that by the late 90’s, 90% of

school children knew who the Marlboro

Man was.

• 1998 campaign ended when tobacco

companies were no longer allowed to use

cartoons (Joe Camel) or humans in

advertising.

• Still seen as one of the most influential ad

campaigns even with tragic ending

• Americana + realism = connection