Cowboy Marlboro

Leo Burnett specialized in creation of advertising personages such as Yolly Green Giant, Morris the Cat, the Keebler Elves, Charilie the Tune. Having proceeded to defeminization of Marlboro cigarettes, he decided to use the series of testosterone injections, which is the image of captain, sportsman, adventurer, military reporter, house builder and others. The first person in this row was a cowboy. Not more than 3000 professional cowboys remain in USA.

Burnett said much and he was doing it very clearly. Advertising campaign got on well. For one year Marlboro brand moved forward from the last place to the fourth one, being at the list of cigarettes champions. The campaign decided to forget about the captain and to hold back the cowboy to be on the safe side. The first invitees for shooting were professional models among whom nobody was aware from what side to approach the horse. Gabbers replaced them. Just imagine a person in blue, faded jeans, cowboy boots with headlong spurs! It was incredibly funny! Finally advertising agency had to look for real cowboys in Texas and Montana.

In 1955 the agency decided to add tattoo in the form of trade mark on the cowboy hand. One of the sitters remembered that before shootings, he was made up during three minutes and the tattoo applied for three hours. In 1962 advertising agency of Burnett purchased all rights for the screenplay of The Magnificent Seven and added the following phrase into it for TV advertisement: Come to where the flavor is. Marlboro Country. Since that time, Marlboro man occupied the firm position among most successful advertising images and Marlboro is at the top of the most popular cigarettes all over the world.