ABSTRACT

The famous Marlboro chevron is a military insignia. Both Marlboro, named for a famous general, and the former best-seller, Pall Mall, carry the military mottoes of conquering Roman emperors on every pack. One analyst thinks the Marlboro chevron hard pack subconsciously functions as a medal, which the smoker "pins on" himself each time he stuffs it in his shirt pocket. The most powerful hook so far is the Marlboro man, which the Leo Burnett agency more or less stumbled upon in the fifties while working on a series of images of blue-collar males. Philip Morris's research showed that young people in search of an identity were starting to smoke to declare their independence from their parents. The idea was to harness a yearning for freedom and rebellion without making the message too anti-social. The Marlboro success apparently comes from the sense of quiet rebellion against constraints and rules, and from a sense of belonging.