Marlboro, Targeting Women Since 1924
November 22, 1924
It is hard to believe that Marlboro, one of the world’s most popular cigarette brands, was once targeted to women. Initially building its legacy around the theme “Mild as May," Marlboro targeted their female audience through a series of advertisements in 1926, which showed a feminine hand reaching for a cigarette. The cigarettes were sold in a white pack covered in graphic elements and lots of copy. After the first reports linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer were released, consumers looked to other brands.
Marlboro rebranded as the new “safer” filtered cigarette, which proved to be effeminate, losing the interest of women. It was in the late 1950s that the brand tried to change its image to target a more financially attractive audience: young men. The box was redesigned, like that of a Campbell’s soup can. With a white top, white bottom and an arrow pointing upward, the simplicity of the box design allowed Marlboro to be visible, even on the fuzziest television set. The box was enhanced with a foil liner and cellophane wrapper, in addition to a top that flipped open. This “tougher” cigarette for men was early advertised with a jingle that promised “filter, flavor, flip-top box,” which audiences perceived as something special.