With predictions of harmful effects from smoking hitting the news, the 1950s marked the first major decline in tobacco use. To seek growth, Philip Morris embarked on a massive research investigation, which included America's youth. Their goal, to find the "perfect symbol of independence and?rebellion" that would "turn rookie smokers on to Marlboro." They discovered what would become the No. 1 advertising icon of the 20th Century—The Cowboy, better known as the Marlboro Man.
Judged by Advertising Age, the advertising industry's leading trade publication, the Marlboro Man ranked above Ronald McDonald, the Jolly Green Giant, Betty Crocker and the Energizer Bunny as the most effective, recognizable and powerful icon of the century.
Representing the "authentic American hero," Marlboro's Cowboy was the perfect lure for adolescents looking for a badge of adulthood. Living in the wide-open, untamed terrain of "Marlboro Country," the Marlboro Man's role is to link smoking with independence, adventure, rebellion and masculinity. Decades of scientific evidence reveal however, that smoking causes the opposite of independence and masculinity. Addiction, death and impotence are just a few of the negative health effects caused by smoking.
Despite the contradiction between the promise of the ad campaign and the grim reality of tobacco use, the Marlboro Man turned around a declining market. Marlboro's "phenomenal growth rate" came largely from 15- to 17-year-olds, according to an internal 1975 Philip Morris report.
While Philip Morris claims they no longer target youth, they still run the historic campaign that has been shown by researchers, government officials, advertising professionals, and even the tobacco giant itself, to attract youth. Marlboro remains the No. 1 cigarette brand among youth ages 12 to 17.
