The Art of Capturing Hearts and Minds: Lessons from Iconic Advertising Campaigns.
KSHITIJ KULKARNI
Internal Communications and Branding Coordinator at Bosch (RBAI) | Ex AIESECer | Ex Scout
Are you fond of magicians and magic shows? if yes, have you ever noticed how magicians are able to manipulate the mind of the audience using clever tricks and illusions? Although we all know that magic is not real and there is some sort of trick behind the act, the way they present those tricks makes us fall into a false belief that all they are doing is magic.
Similarly, a marketer is able to capture and hold the attention of the audience by using an advertisement campaign. Marketers create excitement and anticipation in the consumer’s mind. By creating iconic logos, appealing slogans, brilliant visuals, and gripping storytelling,
Good marketers as well as magicians have the ability to influence and direct their audience. They are able to create a sense of amazement that raise eagerness and leaves them wanting more. Marketers should also be able to connect with their audience by using humor, fear, or nostalgia which allows the customer to feel an emotional connection with the advertising campaign.
Leo Burnett was truly a magician of the marketing world. He knew the secret spell to charm the target audience and create a sense of desire within them that would eventually lead to the success of the ad campaign.?He was famous for his iconic campaigns such as Tony the Tiger for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Marlboro Man. Yes, he was the one behind the game-changer ad campaign of Philip Morris.
The revolutionary Marlboro Morris advertisement campaign was a huge success back in the 1950s. It’s 1950. Imagine yourself flicking through a magazine. Your attention is suddenly drawn to the rough and tough cowboy. He is standing tall, staring into your eyes, with a cigarette in his mouth. There's something truly captivating about this image - you can practically feel the force of his determination radiating off the page. That guy isn’t just any cowboy – this is the Marlboro Man.
The story behind this cowboy is really fantastic and fascinating. A company that used to target women’s for their cigarettes suddenly shifted toward the male crowd. Let's discuss the details of what made the company take this major step.
In the year 1920, a brand entered the tobacco market with an innovative idea of producing cigarettes with red filters to mask lipstick strain and it was marked as a women’s cigarette brand. In those days the brand was struggling a lot in the market even though the brand came up with such an innovative idea, it was only able to capture about 1% of the market share
Their fortune was about to take a turn when the US government announced a report in which it was mentioned that cigarette causes cancer it’s injurious to health because of this a huge downfall was faced by the 8 billion dollar industry within a day. In the midst of a market downturn, where the industry faced losses and many companies were shutting down their business, a brand with only a 1 % share was able to eat the market shares of others and become the 4th largest cigarette-selling brand.
The reason behind the drastic change in the number of Marlboro was the strategy to dive into a new market segment, the company now started targeting a male audience. Men in the 1950s were expected to exhibit traits such as toughness, self-reliance, and stoicism. An ideal man was seen as an independent strong figure who care for his family and protect them from harm.
By tapping into the insecurities and desires of men, Marlboro was able to persuade them to spend money on their products. Marlboro was the company that introduced the concept of “lifestyle marketing strategy” which turned out to be a game changer in the marketing industry.
(In my childhood, I was a huge fan of the Indian superhero Krrish not only me but all the kids of my age group used to admire him and brands found this as an opportunity. I still remember that I purchased a pair of trousers because the brand was offering Krrish mask the trouser. Owning a Krrish mask gave me a sense of excitement and it was a memorable experience. Every time I put on the Krrish mask, I felt like the superhero himself: a strong, brave person who is strong and confident, saves lives, and stands up for the weak.)
In the year 1964 after the report stating that cigarette causes cancer was published, all brands start hustling to save their image in the market. While few brands were giving justification for cigarettes and others were disagreeing with the report. Philip Morris did something different from the crowd and started working on restructuring their marketing strategy. They targeted the sentiments of the audience and by understanding the psychology of the audience they came up with the campaign named Marlboro Man. They introduced a character in the advertisement named Marlboro Man. The character was designed to appeal to men who valued independence, strength, and adventure. The character was a stylish, rough and tough fascinating cowboy. He was an icon of freedom and manliness.
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People in the 1960s were so fascinated by Marlboro man and his lifestyle that they started buying Marlboro cigarettes. This commercial created a drastic change in the sale of Marlboro cigarettes. The most surprising element of the commercial was that the company showed the cigarette for only 10 seconds in the advertisement. This cigarette was not the primary factor of the advertisement. The primary factor and focus was the Marlboro man the main character of their advertisement. This created a difference between Marlboro and the other cigarette companies as on one side where the other companies were not able to advertise their product on another side Marlboro watch doing this very smoothly. Marlboro ads were also getting published in magazines with the slogans like “Come to Marlboro country” or “Come where the flavour is come to Marlboro country” Indirectly this advertisement was appealing to Men to experience this cigarette once and be part of their community.
Even after when the government banned the commercial of cigarettes in the 1970s the business of Marlboro was still growing other competitors were scratching their heads as they were not able to brand their products in the market without showing it.
In the case of Marlboro did not succeed in the market because they were producing something extraordinary or its products were providing a different experience in terms of taste to the audience because of which the audience was getting attracted towards the brand. A cigarette is an addiction and the only thing cigarette helps you do is smoke more. The company was knowing that once they are able to attract the individual towards the company the person won’t shift to another brand.
The reason for showing the lifestyle of Marlboro Man was to capture the hearts and minds of consumers by promoting a desirable lifestyle and crafting a rugged cowboy persona that resonated with men seeking independence, strength, and adventure. By showcasing a charismatic man smoking a Marlboro cigarette, the campaign suggested that smoking could enhance one's personality and make one appear cool and collected. As a result, the Marlboro brand became a cultural icon and the campaign is widely recognized as one of the most successful and influential marketing campaigns of that era.
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