Okay, this entry is going to be a little off my normal track. I was reading an article about advertising today and I thought some of these ads were so incredible I had to share.

In 1956, cigarette companies were still promoting smoking as a remedy to tense nerves and as a way to avoid "yipping like a terrier," as in this ad for Camels. Because of FTC rules regulating the direct claim of medical benefits, Camel made the indirect link between smoking pleasure and a more pleasing disposition.












These ads from 1950, Marlboros were promoted as a cigarette for mothers. Thankfully, this notion never caught on, and later that decade ad man Leo Burnett helped the company reposition Marlboros as a rugged man's cigarette by inventing the cowboy Marlboro Man. Until that time, filter cigarettes were considered wimpy, and not for real men.


It's seems that no one would take these ads seriously, but they are bonafide magazine ads.
Wow. I wonder if people back in the '50's would see these ads and scoff at how ridiculous they were.
They the kind of ads that compare to the "Lose 12lbs This Weekend!" kind of ads we have now.

I still can't believe using babies to sell cigs...