The Most Influential Man Who Never Lived

He was the most famous man who never lived.   The iconic image of this rugged, handsome cowboy riding off in the sunset was indelibly stamped in the hearts and mind of both smokers and does who staunchly opposed it.  He was so effective in tugging both the heart strings and pocket strings of people of all ages all over the world and personally responsible for the suffering of millions that he was eventually banned from TV, print and billboards.

 

In 1999, Marlboro settled a lawsuit agreeing to remove all cowboys from billboard ads.  This ended one of the most mythical, successful and hated brand icons in the advertising history.

Leo Burnett, the former Peoria Journal reporter turned advertiser, created the Marlboro man in 1951.  The success was astronomical.  Marlboro sales increased nearly 3,250% in 1955.

In 1964, Phillip Morris refreshed the image by putting him in mythical Marlboro country.  In 1971 cigarette ads were banned from TV, but the vivid image of the rugged cowboy smoking a cigarette endured.

Even today if you see a picture of a cowboy riding off in the sunset, you may immediately think of Marlboro Man.  In fact, USA Today has ranked him number one in the 101 list of most influential people.

That is because Marlboro has indelibly stamped this rugged image into the hearts and minds of people all over the world.

At least for this generation, the image belongs to them.  Marlboro gets free advertising and don't even need to do the work.

For example, if you search for the word "cowboy" in Google, the very first picture that comes up is the one above.