The first paragraph of the advertisement uses an opened question to make the reader think why does he not “…settle back an have a full-flavoured smoke?” This makes the reader want to buy a pack of cigarettes and enjoy them as Paul Hornung is doing so in the image below. Paul, the “…Player of the Year...”in the NFL is portrayed as a manly figure and makes readers certain that also men can smoke filtered cigarettes. In the image Paul is smoking one of the new cigarettes with a filter and the expression on his face infers that he is enjoying it, perhaps after a heavy session of training, he is relaxing with a Marlboro cigarette, with the tranquillity on his mind that his performance on the field will not be affected by smoking because now the cigarettes have a filter. The loyalty towards a brand of cigarettes is also encouraged in the advert since Paul is said to be “…a Marlboro man all the way.” This will make readers certain that they can trust the Marlboro brand and hence incite them to always buy Marlboro cigarettes as Paul Hornung.
Just as the question at the top says, “Why don’t you settle back…” Paul is sitting back and enjoying a “…full-flavoured cigarette” This makes the reader envious of Paul in the image and makes them want to buy a cigarette on the way back home from work and sit back in their favourite chair and smoke one of these cigarettes. The image of Paul works as a “serving suggestion”. It tells the reader how cigarettes should be smoked.
The next set of lines state to the reader that the flavour of the cigarettes is “…unfiltered…” but the cigarette does have a “…filter…” The use of juxtaposing words makes the readers think twice at first. The initial part of the phrase writes that the cigarette has a “filter”, which is good for the health of the consumers. The second part tells the reader that even though it has got a filter the flavour of the cigarette or the experience of smoking one is “unfiltered”, suggesting it is undiluted, which makes it even better than the first part of the phrase. Hence, both parts of the sentence are positive and combine to make one encouraging phrase.
The box of cigarettes is what stands out the most in the whole advertisement, since it is in red and it is up front. The box is open for the possible consumers to see the new type of cigarettes and convince themselves that the cigarettes are almost alike. There are three visible cigarettes in the advert, but only one is raised enough to be taken; this makes the reader eager to take one, increasing the chances of readers buying a pack of cigarettes. In addition, the only colour other than black and white is red. This colour links in the head of consumers reading the advert with the pack of cigarettes of the Marlboro brand.
Almost at the bottom of the advertisement, below the box of cigarettes the advertisement reads: “You got a lot to like- Filter, Flavour, Pack or Box”. The advert is telling the reader that both the unfiltered flavour and the filter inside the cigarette complement to make it irresistible to them. Good for their health with the same taste they already love. Plus, they sell them in a pack, for space and weight convenience since it’s lighter and smaller, or, in a box for men in heavy-duty jobs that carry their cigarettes in their pockets all day. This line is stating all the good things about these cigarettes and it gives no choice to the consumer but to think that the Marlboro cigarettes are the best in every possible way.
In addition, the omission of the health warning is beneficial since readers will not even remember all the consequences of smoking. This idea of health precautions is also removed by the impression of the filter eliminating all bad things from the body and men convinced that also they can smoke filtered cigarettes. Also, at the very bottom it is clear that cigarette companies like Marlboro can support and promote sports, which again links with the idea of cigarettes not having any side effects.
In conclusion, the advertisement uses various techniques to contribute to the effectiveness of the message that is sent across to every potential consumer. Every advertisement of the Marlboro brand uses a common technique of language and image to persuade the reader to buy their cigarettes, but this one in particular uses some language and visual techniques that enhance both messages in the advertisement.
Rodolfo Martinez.
Length: 969
