This ad changed tobacco marketing by appealing to consumers' beliefs for freedom, adventure and masculinity. Marlboro associated itself with the rugged image of the cowboy, to show the American ideal of a “man” who has strength, power, control, and freedom which at the time was very popular and sought after. As the video shows the man piloting the plane, it means that this man has control like a man should. It also symbolizes freedom, just like a bald eagle soaring through the American skies. If you know anything about advertisement history you would know that this ad of The Marlboro Man became an enduring symbol of American man culture, embodying the masculine individualism and perseverance of the United States freedom. Through strategic advertising campaigns like the 1968 Marlboro Man ad, Marlboro cigarettes gave advertisement history and culture a new perspective.

As the viewer watches the ad it takes them into a 1st person view of Post trying the new drink. Once Post takes the sip the viewer gets taken into his taste buds and the ad shows a group of men who are soaked in liquid which is assumed to be the liquid that Post consumed, these men are depicted to be military men in a training called “Buds” which often involves long periods of wet and cold environments. This is why they are called “Taste buds”. I don't think this matters much about the ad and selling much but it does show the humor and the people that bud light is trying to target. Men who have been through the military or who are planning on it, this little type of humor that targets an audience makes it personal to that viewer. The ad continues and reaches a part of contradiction where two captains of Post’s mind are competing on what Bud Light he buys, the seltzer or the regular beer, then as the two captains control post’s body, they make him stumble and fall all over the store, making a big mess and destroying most of the isles and most of the products end up on the floor. Then a side worker says “Guys, guys, we're incredibly rich. Lets get both” Then the captains calm down and get both. This tells the viewer not to worry about which bud light to get when you can just get both. Throughout this ad bud light adds lots of mental twists and tricks to convince the viewer to buy their product, as well as lots of hidden humor and chaos to connect to certain people.

This article also states that TV shows, movies, and music videos also play a role in normalizing smoking and drinking, with scenes depicting these behaviors as common and even desirable. MST Services states “ A study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that 19% of primetime television shows portray tobacco use, and just one-quarter of those shows make negative statements about smoking.” This shows the impact of entertainment media on this topic and how much influence they have on the younger generation. The article also mentions that “Smoking is also found in about 25 percent of all music videos, 25 percent of ads for R-rated movies, and just under 10 percent of ads for PG-13 movies. Though these rates seem relatively high, smoking has decreased in popular movies in recent years.” This shows that the media has improved over time with this problem, which is still extremely prevalent today.

Early advertisements promote the use of these products since at one point in time, doctors believed cigarettes helped people. In the mid to late 20th century, although it was found out at this time that smoking cigarettes were extremely unhealthy, advertisements then were still promoting these products concerning good memories, success, and attractiveness. This ultimately caused many people, underaged teens, to start smoking. Tobacco companies do this to sell their product to as many people as possible, trying to shine a positive light on smoking cigarettes. This ultimately had a bad influence on younger people at the time, which is why laws and regulations eventually made it illegal to promote the use of these products. Although we are heading in a better direction, these companies and advertisements that took place in the 1900s still affect the youth with these substances today.

Ms Paris

3/13/25

Midterm Advertising Essay

Tobacco and alcohol share many similarities while having their differences. Today, I researched their advertisements and how they were used to sell to the general public. First, tobacco advertisements. These ads did not last long until President Richard Nixon banned all cigarette ads. This meant that all of the hard work that Marlboro put into their advertisements and what they stood for was washed away, and their sales plummeted as a result. While they were alive, Marlboro was one of the greatest advertisers, starting with the Marlboro Man, who symbolized a strong, masculine man who smoked Marlboro cigarettes. This showed the viewer what Marlboro stood for and played into the subconscious of the viewer's mind. At the time of these ads, men were expected to grow up to be strong, assert dominance, and live life freely, so this is what Marlboro focused on. Through Marlboro's years of making advertisements, they went through many different stages, starting with targeting women, then moving to their filtered cigarettes, and finally, the Marlboro Man. They always found new ways to target a specific audience and further refine their image.

Second is alcohol. Alcohol still has many advertisements today since there are no regulatory bans on them in the United States; they are more tailored towards modern times and people. This is evident in Bud Light's many commercials featuring Post Malone, one of the largest pop artists right now. Doing so brings in new and younger customers who like to follow trends and their idols. Bud Light also implements subconscious thoughts through their visuals, like first-person views and decision-making scripts, making it easier for the viewer of the ad to relate. Another aspect of the advertisement that Bud Light incorporates is humor and chaos, which is linked with the side effects of drinking. It's similar to what may happen to you when you drink and may be a reason people do it in the first place. Implementing this into their advertisements triggers some people and pushes them to seek out what they have had before and remember the fun they had.

The similarities are clear, even though these two advertisements are different in age, they share the same tactics. They both have models to give the viewer someone to look up to, who are both men, target fixating on a specific group of people who are men. According to Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 1.46 billion males consumed alcohol and 0.88 billion females in 2016. This clearly shows that they tailor their ads accordingly. It is also known that men drink more often and heavier than women. It is a sort of macho and manly tradition, especially in college where boys show off how much they can drink.

These companies are successful in what they do because of how much they spend on their ads. If they were not making any money on it, then they wouldn't make them. This is evident with all cigarette companies before and after the ban on their ads. When this happened, their sales dropped significantly. With this being said, these two consumable products both have something holding them back: the safety and health of human beings. Lung cancer, drunk driving death rates, both carcinogens, and both hurt the health of human beings and all animals living. With more statistics coming out about people dying for many different reasons caused by these two consumable products, the audience dwindles. Not to mention the increasing number of advertisements against drinking and smoking because of the negative side effects that come from it. But there is always one thing that these two products obtain and will never lose grip of: addiction.

White, A. M. (2020). Gender differences in the epidemiology of alcohol use and related harms in the United States. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. https://arcr.niaaa.nih.gov/volume/40/2/gender-differences-epidemiology-alcohol-use-and-related-harms-united-states 

YouTube. (2022, June 30). How Marlboro became the #1 Cigarette Brand. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv85GrGqj94 

My findings throughout this project brought a lot of things to light and explained why companies are so successful in their field. What I've come to understand is that companies are willing to go to great lengths to secure sales, regardless of whether it has a negative impact. With Nike's advertisement raising ethical questions about promoting racial equality for sales, to tobacco and alcohol companies abusing the youth, research, and news articles have proven over and over again that the company's number 1 priority is sales.

Nike's “Equality” commercial is a commercial that promotes equality amongst people of color. This commercial has many elements that inspire people and in the commercial, we can see that everyone is involved and that we as people are a community. But what is Nike exactly doing to support this cause? According to the BBC article, it mentions that while many businesses have been quick to adopt the movement's hashtag, they don’t appear to show the same enthusiasm in their boardrooms (Duarte, 2020). Nike faced criticism for not significantly supporting communities of color after their commercial, and public records revealed that only 10% of their workforce was black, sparking backlash. This highlights that a company's public image and its actions may not always align, as advertisements are crafted to attract consumers and generate profit.

This isn't the only way companies generate profit not ethically. Tobacco and alcohol companies are sneaky with the way they advertise their products. In the early 20th century cigarettes were prescribed to individuals by doctors because it was thought that smoking cigarettes were healthy. After a few decades, however, scientists have discovered that smoking was the complete opposite and that it was extremely harmful to individuals. However, this never stopped tobacco companies from advertising. Tobacco advertisements target a specific group of people; teenagers. They do this by having this ideology that people who smoke are young, attractive, and successful. This type of advertising bled into alcohol advertisements, and over the years it has become more prominent that this is a major problem. A study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that 19% of primetime television shows portray tobacco use, and just one-quarter of those shows make negative statements about smoking (MT Services, 2020). Even though tobacco commercials for pro-tobacco use have been regulated by laws and legislation, alcohol commercials still follow this same path, encouraging younger individuals to give in to horrible adult habits.

Companies will do anything to get sales where it's most effective. We've observed that major corporations like Nike primarily advertise to drive sales and garner attention, even if the message doesn't perfectly reflect their actual practices or values. Tobacco and alcohol companies encourage substance use among young people since they are the most susceptible, and these companies don't care about anyone's physical and mental well-being, they just want to make a profit. Most companies will find a way to execute sales where it's most effective, whether it's ethical or not.

Duarte, F. (2022, February 25). Black lives matter: DO companies really support the cause?. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200612-black-lives-matter-do-companies-really-support-the-cause

Services, M. (2020, February 19). Effects of drug and alcohol advertising on teens. Juvenile Justice Reform Blog. https://info.mstservices.com/blog/drug-alcohol-teens-advertising#:~:text=Research%20on%20the%20effects%20of,accounts%20for%20about%20%2415%20billion.