Philip Morris' Marlboro Man Lassoes a Hit Ad Campaign
Clip: Episode 4 | 1m 3sVideo has Closed Captions
The appeal and success of the Marlboro Man cigarette ad campaigns spanned decades.
Philip Morris understood that The West as a cultural backdrop, held great appeal to Americans. By tapping into the magic of Marlboro Country, the cigarette company created an ultramasculine cowboy icon, The Marlboro Man, whose ads ran successfully for decades.
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Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein is a production of Show of Force, DMR Productions, and WETA Washington, D.C. David M. Rubenstein is the host and executive...
Philip Morris' Marlboro Man Lassoes a Hit Ad Campaign
Clip: Episode 4 | 1m 3sVideo has Closed Captions
Philip Morris understood that The West as a cultural backdrop, held great appeal to Americans. By tapping into the magic of Marlboro Country, the cigarette company created an ultramasculine cowboy icon, The Marlboro Man, whose ads ran successfully for decades.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Our Symbols and Stories
David Rubenstein examines the history of America through some of its most iconic symbols, objects and places, in conversation with historical thinkers, community members and other experts. Together, they dive deep into each symbol’s history, using them as a gateway to understanding America’s past and present.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- They've got big ad budgets and they know how to make an image that's gonna stick with you.
The Philip Morris company realized that whenever they showed a cowboy, there was a certain blip in their marketing research and the cowboy was really the most masculine figure.
Then they finally realized, let's go with this and it was a brilliant campaign.
The idea of come to Marlboro Country.
What they're selling is freedom, independence, people outdoors, and the fresh air.
The West as a cultural backdrop held a great appeal to Americans.
They're living in cities, in crowded tenements.
They're working in factories.
This is a way that you can be a part of this larger myth and a part of this larger sense of being free.
- And did the campaign work?
- It worked brilliantly.
It became the largest selling cigarette in the United States and eventually the largest in the world.
It's one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time.
Buffalo Bill Helps Spread the Cowboy Mystique
Video has Closed Captions
Wild West Shows led to a skewed perspective of the role of real cowboys in America. (3m 12s)
Video has Closed Captions
The cowboy is the quintessential American — fiercely independent, brave and laconic. (31s)
The Homestead Act Spurs Westward Expansion
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The Homestead Act attracted thousands of settlers to The West with 160 acres of free land. (3m 35s)
Why Did Cowboy Movies Leave Women Out of the Picture?
Video has Closed Captions
Westerns downplayed the role that women and minorities played in settling The West, (1m 55s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein is a production of Show of Force, DMR Productions, and WETA Washington, D.C. David M. Rubenstein is the host and executive...