the.com/marlboro man
the cowboy who sold cancer by looking like freedom itself.
means an advertising icon of a rugged cowboy used to rebrand filtered cigarettes as macho instead of feminine.
from in 1954 marlboro was a mild women's cigarette with a red filter tip to hide lipstick; ad man leo burnett flipped the brand by pairing it with tattooed cowboys, and it became the best-selling cigarette on earth within a few years.
tattoo detailthe hand tattoo was added to seem authentic, not staged
rebrand speedwent from niche to top seller in about two years
real cowboys usedburnett cast actual working ranchers, not actors, at first
for instance
wayne mclaren — real marlboro man model, died of lung cancer in 1992 at 51
david mclean — another marlboro man actor, died of lung cancer in 1995
eric lawson — marlboro man print model, died of smoking-related disease in 2014