Print Ad Analysis

For this task, our table group was assigned a 20th century Marlboro advertisement. Back in those days smoking was seen as a social and public custom, which wasn't seen as unhealthy. Indeed, it was a fancy habit that targeted all generations and there were cigarettes especially designed for women who wore red lipstick. The mouth pieces of the cigarettes would be filtered with red, which could blend in with the red of the lipstick. Adding such details to cigarettes, implied that the production of Marlboro would increase to female consumers. As smoking was seen as a mans stereotype, the "red" addition to Marlboro now advertises for both genders, developing the act of smoking as more seductive, especially due to the erotic color red. This completely changes the value of smoking, as it has not upgraded to a "luxury" product that connects men and women, possibly increasing the need to belong and intimacy.

The woman on the foreground of the advertisement is empowered due to the fact that the man figure is lighting her cigarette for her. The message that this action conveys is that the female consumer attracts male attention and therefore advertises the establishment of new relationships due to smoking. By ignoring the mans dominance is this advertisement, it loses its stereotypical recognition thereby placing smoking in a different perspective, which now attracts both genders. The advertisement is trying to expand on its consumers by empowering the female figure. The mountain ranges in the background play another role in empowering Marlboro as a brand that sells products as "a luxury in smoking unmatched by any other cigarette." It implies that smoking coincides with health and a happy lifestyle. It increases the image of smoking Marlboro as an "enjoying" and "superior" habit in comparison to other brands. It enhances its exclusivity and attracts the interest of those who want to smoke "better in every way ... throughout the day!"