Marlboro Advertisement Analysis

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Table of Contents

Jim Fowles
Courtland Bovee
Strengths and Weaknesses of Analytical Principles
Works Cited

Jim Fowles

Fowles says that an advert has appeals from the following dimensions. That is sex, affiliation, dominance, autonomy among others. From the four categories, Marlboro Man appeals to the person reading the advert from each dimension. First, the Marlboro Man is riding a horse.

Clearly, he is winning something. Could it be a tournament or a game? In the American culture, everyone reveres winning and winners. Kids learn from their parents how to win in life and among peers. Hence, this is a direct influence to a majority of these people.

A man is riding the horse. In the American and almost every culture in the world, men must have a certain appeal that borders on dominance to win the hearts of women. Advertisers use this fact and Fowles is an advocate. Therefore, on that front, it appeals directly to women who view this as a man of means.

He is capable of protection of the family and his woman. He also stands out among his peers. This means that he is the man every woman would go for. Therefore, the advert has a direct psychological connection with majority of women. This does not mean they will use these cigarettes. However, it meets the whole intention of advertising, which is attention.

The other factor that Fowles uses to judge a good advert is autonomy. This stands out quite well in the Marlboro advert. He is wearing a cowboy hat. We might as well assume that he is moving around his vast property. This makes him autonomous and able to make personal decisions. It also projects him as dependable. This has a direct appeal to both men and women. Men strive to be that dependable person who stands out in a big crowd while women seek these men (Kotabe and Kristiaan 34).

Marlboro Man is an advert for cigarettes. However, it is fair to say that its influence cuts across the board. It does not influence smokers only. This is the true nature of advertising. Although the target may be a certain group, an advert should strive to influence a large number of people. This is because in marketing the larger the pool the greater the likelihood of making a sale.

Courtland Bovee

While Jim Fowles analyzes the use of image in advertising, Courtland Bovee analyzes the use of text. The textual components of an advert should meet and exceed the expectations of the target group. The first textual component is the heading/headlines and subheadings. In the Marlboro Man advert, it is evident that use of text is quite limited. The only text appears at the end of a large image. The reason lies in the fact that the target is not patient.

Textual advertisements are appealing to people who take time to read them. In the above case, most of the people are not patient. This group includes teenagers, men and people who are starting to make it in life. Hence, psychologically, they do not want things that might appear as disturbances (Ulrich and Song 296).

In using textual ads, Bovee offers some dos and don’ts. For example, it is suicidal to use commonly used phrases or clichés. This dilutes the message of an advert. He advises that the text be bold enough to meet the eyes of the reader. He also says it is important to use short and easy to remember phrases. He refers to them as catchy and appealing to the eye. Clearly, the intention of Marlboro Man advert is not one of the above-mentioned. His intention was to use images.

However, the little text that Marlboro uses must be a tagline or a legal warning. This is because mixing both textual and image advertising requires skills. Sometimes, it may fail. ‘Style meets flavor’ or ‘smoking is harmful to your health’ are the most probable words under the Marlboro advert. They serve to inform the public about the packet of cigarettes and appeal to truthful advertising. It is also important to meet legal requirements that are hard to form into an image (Young 45).

Strengths and Weaknesses of Analytical Principles

Weaknesses

Bovee’s textual analysis and preference for textual advertising may contravene copyright laws. This is because another company somewhere may use some of the phrases. Although this is not possible with internet because a person can easily find out, it is something that users of this method are aware.

Secondly, it is almost universal that people do not read long things especially on advertisements. This is especially true when the advert interrupts a favorite program in television. This is the reason why it should be catchy and direct at the same time. The other weakness about textual advertising is that it is almost impossible to do it without employing images. However, it is critical for the two forms of advertising to meet standards expected by viewers (Ulrich and Song 296).

It is illogical to use images on a print media. This is because print media charges use of space. Images take up large spaces and hence payment for using print may be staggering. Hence, it is economical to use electronic media. The blend of images can be done quite fast and meet the advertisers intention as fast. However, an image on a print media lacks flexibility (Young 45).

Strengths

Textual adverts are quite important when the message that an advertiser wants to relay is detailed. However, this is only possible in a print media. In electronic media, use of images is better and makes sense. For example, an advertisement of a college and the faculties it has requires a detailed reading. This way an advert offers a multidimensional source for information. This may include directions, prices and times for classes. In the Marlboro Man case, use of text may not do much to appeal to the target (Ulrich and Song 296).

Images are important when the intention of the advertiser is to leave a lasting impact on the mind of the target market. A catchy phrase plus an appealing image work well to accomplish this goal. In the case of Marlboro man, it is quite easy to remember a man with a cowboy hat riding a horse with a caption ‘style meets flavor’.

Fowles’ use of imagery to advertise may not contravene any laws. This is because during incorporation of a company, colors are one of the requirements. Hence, during inception, a company knows what colors to use and subsequent competitors may not use a similar combination of colors. Colors sell brands. Hence, it is paramount that a company chooses this aspect well (Young 45).

Works Cited

Kotabe, Masaki & Kristiaan Helsen. Global Marketing Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.

Ulrich, Kaiser & Song, Minjae. Do Media Consumers Really Dislike Advertising? An Empirical Assessment of the Role of Advertising in Print Media Markets. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 27.2 (2009): 292-301.

Young, Charles. The Advertising Handbook: Ideas in Flight. Seattle: Wiley and Sons, 2005.

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