We do not advocate smoking. The health risks of smoking have been widely communicated to the American public for decades. Despite significant declines over the last 60 years, tobacco use continues and smoking is still considered the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
For many years, there were no governmental restrictions on advertising nicotine products. Print, audio and video advertisements used images and slogans such as these to promote their products.
- “Come to where the flavor is, come to Marlboro Country”
- “Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should”
- “I’d walk a mile for a Camel”
- “Come up to Kool”
- “Lucky Strike means fine tobacco”
- “Call for Phillip Morris”
Cigarette ads also used animated creations including actual children’s cartoon characters like the Flintstones. Others featured characters created just for the ads. Kool used penguins, Camel used Joe Camel. In addition, ads used celebrity endorsements as well as photographs of women and men smoking. One of the first anti-smoking moves of the government originated from a 1960s study, noting the health hazards of tobacco use. The United States Surgeon General warning (see below) has been required to be printed on packaging for tobacco products since 1964.
According to a Gallup chart, the percentage of United States individuals who smoke was over 40% in 1944 and has since declined to around 11% to 12% currently. Worth noting is that some of the decline has been offset by e-cigarette usage.
Congress also began the move to restrict tobacco product advertising. Since 1999 there has been a ban on ads for such products on television and radio, the use of cartoons, billboard and transit ads and also advertisements of tobacco related brand-name merchandise.
For several decades, Marlboro ran western themed advertisements around the character known as the Marlboro Man. The Marlboro brand had been around since the 1920s marketed to women, but Phillip Morris wanted to change the image of the brand. In the mid 1950s, the Leo Burnett Agency was hired to work on the account. The head of the firm, Leo Burnett recalled a cover of Life magazine some five years earlier showing a Texas cowboy by the name of Clarence Haley Long, Jr., who hailed from Paducah. Long was foreman of the JA Ranch, and his photo inspired Burnett to create a new look for the Marlboro ads.
The new campaign went on for a few years using actors wearing various forms of western clothing. The first person to catch on as the Marlboro Man was Colorado rancher named Bob Norris (not a Texan). Norris’ obituary says that he came to the attention of the ad agency after he was shown in a photo with actor John Wayne, who had attended some of Norris’ horse auctions. In response to the offer, Norris first put them off, but they persisted and he accepted the job. The agency had first contemplated continuing to use actors, but Norris seemed more authentic. A newspaper article said that Norris had owned ranches in Colorado and Arizona and that his family’s properties were sometimes used as the locations for the photo shoots. Ironically, The Norris obituary and most articles point out that he had never smoked cigarettes. For the ads, though, he was photographed hundreds and hundreds of times with them in his hand or dangling from his mouth. Norris continued the sideline job for the next 12 years or so. He said his conscience began to bother him and he abruptly resigned from it after his son Bob, Jr. asked him why he did the cigarette commercials if he did not smoke. Norris went back to ranching full time and became well known for his philanthropy, including founding a not-for-profit entity dealing with autism research and awareness. Norris was also active in funding animal related charities and military veteran survivor groups. Norris died at the age of 90 in 2019.
Over the years there were numerous other people, roughly a dozen, who appeared in the ads. They were usually from the west. One was Darrell Winfield, of Wyoming. Darrell was born in Oklahoma but relocated to Wyoming where he was a working rancher. Another was Max Bryan “Turk” Robinson of Oklahoma who said he was invited to audition for the role as he was standing behind the chutes at a rodeo. Brad Johnson was another Marlboro Man. Reversing the earlier trend, Brad was able to transition from his former rodeo career into acting.
A man with a Texas connection was Carl B. “Bigun” Bradley. Carl had been a wagon boss for the 6666. He was well known in the area as a hard and reliable worker. He would be loaned out from the 6666 to help on other ranches from time to time when neighbors were branding or doing other operations where extra “hands” were needed. He also was involved in the production of area rodeo events and stock shows.
Bradley was born in 1937 in Knox City, Texas, graduating from high school in 1956. He had lived in the general area all of his life. A Burnett Agency art director named Neil McBain was in Texas scouting locations for a Camay soap commercial location when he came across Bradley who was then working at the 6666. McBain recruited him for the role and around 1963 Bradley became the face of the ad campaign for about eight years. An article quoted friends saying that he was offered the advertising job full time, but he declined.
Carl’s life ended tragically and too soon. About ten years after he had started doing the ads, he was living in Old Glory, Texas working on another ranch out of nearby Aspermont. One evening in 1973, he failed to return home. A search of the area was organized including the Hamlin, Texas Civil Defense and Volunteer Fire Department. The volunteers were able to find Carl and his mount. Both had fallen into a stock tank and drowned. There were various theories put forth about the accident. The primary one speculated that Carl had been riding a horse he was trying to “break.” For some reason, the horse appears to have reared and fallen into the water with Carl. In the process, Carl received a wound to the head from possibly being kicked by the animal. Services were held at the First United Methodist Church in Knox City.
The Marlboro Country campaign was one of the most successful and long running ad campaigns in history. It has since been retired in favor of another advertising theme.
Surgeon General’s Warning (Source: Comprehensive Smoking Education Act (1984))
(1) Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy.
(2) Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health.
(3) Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, and Low Birth Weight.
(4) Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.
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Texas History Notebook 