Advertising 101: The Marlboro Man

The secret to writing a timeless novel is the same secret behind advertising your small business. You have to get started. I'm not talking about putting a series of words in a specific place where people will take note. Instead, I'm talking about finding your demographic, targeting them, and firing a missile of seemingly priceless information at them. Don't assume they want to buy your product. Just know that if your product is presented the right way, they need it.

Think about some of the best marketing campaigns you've ever seen, and try to imagine why they worked. I'd like to present Marlboro and their campaign based upon the legendary Marlboro Man. When it was announced that cigarettes are actually bad for people, both Phillip and Morris were most certainly displeased. They were forced to start putting filters on their cigarettes; and, at the time, smoking filtered was known as a feminine way to smoke. The company needed to re-think their plan, as their target demographic was mostly men. So, they did.

After, Marlboro was able to identify men as their desired demographic, they honed in on their demographic and targeted them with an iconic figure. The Marlboro Man was instantly thrown in peoples' faces, and it worked. A rugged, musty, cowboy who appealed to massive amounts of men. In 1955, the year the company introduced the Marlboro Man, sales increased by 300%. We wanted to tell this story because a tobacco company was able to make "death sticks" appeal to a target audience that was already aware that the product has a direct correlation with cancer. If Marlboro can sell something that causes cancer, you can sell anything. You just need to follow the three simple steps: Find your demographic, target them, and bedazzle them with something unavoidable.

You can do this on your own; however, if you're having trouble making this happen, call us here at Xynergy®. We'd be more than happy to help.