The Marlboro Man

The Marlboro Man was one of the most iconic and successful marketing campaigns of the 20th Century. It initially featured successful men from all walks of life as Marlboro Man was one of accomplishment. Men featured were academics, businessmen, prominent members of the arts, military, and rugged cowboys. One distinct feature of the initial campaign was that Marlboro Men had a military style tattoo on the back of their hand. Eventually, iconic cowboy imagery was primarily used and the signature tattoo was eliminated.

Marlboros were a filtered cigarette which were initially marketed toward women. The predecessor to the Marlboro Man was feminine "Mild as May" ads featuring a beautiful housewife or socialite.

The change in marketing was initiated when Philip Morris hired the Leo Burnett agency to come up with a campaign focused on acquiring male customers. Draper Daniels is the creative director and "Mad Man" credited with coming up with Marlboro Man campaign. After the initial success of the campaign Draper Daniels became the top idea man on Madison Ave. The main character of the TV Show "Mad Men", Don Draper, was based on Draper Daniels.

With increased regulation on tobacco advertisements, the Marlboro Man was officially retired in 1999. The campaign spanned 54 years, making it one of the longest campaigns in history.