However, when we read some magazines, we still can
find a number of fancy cigarette advertisements
which impress people a lot. When people think of
Marlboro, they will be reminded of the western
cowboys riding on the handsome horses. What exactly
do Marlboro advertisements really want to sell? Is
it the American cigarette or the masculinity? In the
following paragraphs, we will have a deeper
discussion about the Marlboro advertisements on
magazines to analyze its myth.
In order to analyze the myth of Marlboro cigarette
advertisements create; we have to have a general
idea about the types of Marlboro cigarette
advertisements. Marlboro cigarettes have three
types: the Marlboro, the Marlboro Lights, and the
Marlboro Menthol. The dominant color on the Marlboro
pocket is red; on the Marlboro Lights packet,
yellow, and on the Marlboro Menthol, green. Thus,
the moods of the advertisements change depending on
different types of cigarettes. The mood of the
Marlboro is like the general Marlboro
advertisements: a cowboy or a group of cowboys
accompany with the horses on a broad pasture. On the
other hand, the advertisements of the Marlboro
Lights and the Marlboro Menthol are a bit different
from the characteristic of Marlboro ones. The
background color of the Marlboro Lights
advertisements is golden. This is similar to the
Yellow brand of the Marlboro Lights. Moreover, the
Background of the Marlboro Menthol is a green
valley.
The viridity is resembling the brand of the Marlboro
Menthol. In addition to the colors, the types of the
brand of the cigarettes can also be divided by their
tastes. The red Marlboro is the heaviest one, so the
advertisements focus more on the virility. The
obvious examples are the friendship between two men
and the brevity of conquering the horse. From the
name of the Marlboro Lights, we can know that the
taste is not so heavy. Therefore, the advertisements
stress the lightness of golden sunlight. From the
same formula, the taste of the Marlboro Menthol is
cool so the advertisements emphasize the fresh trees
and water.
Why are there only male cowboys? After knowing the
types of the Marlboro, we should analyze the
significance of the male models showing on the
advertisements. Why are there only male cowboys?
There are two possible reasons. One is related to
the taste of this kind of cigarettes; the other is
about the American symbols. According to my friends
who have the habit of smoking, the taste of the
Marlboro cigarettes is very heavy. Even the Marlboro
Lights, the taste of it is still heavier than other
brands. Usually, only men would like this heavy
taste. Hence, the advertisements with signs of
masculinity and virility can appeal to the main male
consumers. Next reason for making use of male
cowboys is about the American symbols. We know that
cowboys in the American West are very famous and
they are a natural symbol. Besides, the western
scenery can let audience remind of the spirit of the
American Pioneers. In the cowboy myth, cowboys are
brave, persevering, and innocent. They are the very
models of all men in the world; they are the symbol
of the America. Besides, the men in the
advertisements only ride horses, instead of driving
jeeps. The horse riding idea is not only influential
but also creative compared with other cigarette
advertisements. The creativity is also an important
characteristic of Americans. According to above
analyses, we can say that the Marlboro cigarettes
are not only selling the male identity but also the
American identity.
In order to further prove that the Marlboro is
selling male and American identity, we will discuss
more about the slogans and where we can find the
Marlboro advertisements. First of all, we can take a
look of the Marlboro’s slogan, which is “Come to
Marlboro Country.” The “country” has double
meanings. One is the countryside of the West; the
other is the nation, the America. No matter which
one is right, we can realize that the “country”
implies the American identity so the advertisements
try to construct an illusive American identity in
their consumers. Right: (Newsweek, Vol.CXXX, No.14,
Oct.6, 1997) According to my investigation on the
recent magazines in the Science and Foreign Library
in Fu-Jen University, the Marlboro advertisements
often show on the cover pages of Magazines such as
Newsweek, TIME, People, Asiaweek, US, Cycle World,
U.S.News, and China Times Weekly. If we study
carefully, we can find that most readers of these
magazines are people above twenty and most of them
are male. It is apparent that the Marlboro
cigarettes want to attract male consumers more than
female ones. That is, the Marlboro cigarettes’ myth
is to make the consumers identify with those
American heroic cowboys.
However, I have some critical thinking toward the
Marlboro advertisements. One is that since the
Marlboro has strong emphasis on male consumers, if,
one day, the company wants to sell cigarettes for
female, it will be a big challenge. If they do not
want to change their style of advertisements, they
may narrow down their consumers. The trite
advertisements would not attract people’s attention
in the future. My another opinion is that no cowboys
in the advertisements are smoking. We can think that
the cowboys are so powerful and healthy because they
do not smoke at all. The cowboy in the advertisement
can be the one who gives the Surgeon General's
Warning. Although the Marlboro cigarette has
successfully created its American heroic cowboy
myth, people still keep the right to believe or not
to believe. No matter what type of the cigarette is,
smoking is evidently pernicious.
I hope that people can resist the
attraction of those false images, and refuse
smoking, like a "real hero".
Smoking is definitely harmful for our health.
