Which advertising campaign introduced the Marlboro cowboy image in the 1950s?

The advertising campaign that introduced the Marlboro cowboy image in the 1950s became known as the “Marlboro Man” campaign.

Marlboro had originally been marketed as a women’s cigarette with a red tip intended to hide lipstick marks. In 1954, Philip Morris and advertising executive Leo Burnett repositioned the brand around rugged masculine imagery, including cowboys, ranchers, and outdoor landscapes.

The new identity helped Marlboro become one of the world’s best-known cigarette brands. The cowboy suggested independence, toughness, and the American West, while the cigarette’s filtered design was presented as compatible with a masculine image.

The campaign is often remembered only as a single character, but many models portrayed Marlboro cowboys over several decades. Its success also illustrates how advertising can change a product’s perceived audience without changing the product itself. Later public-health criticism focused on the contradiction between the healthy-looking outdoor imagery and the severe health risks of smoking.