This is how they sold us tobacco: the wildest ads in history
- Fotoprostudio
- Jun 23
- 6 min read
Introduction: When Smoking Was Sexy (and Deadly)
1. “More Doctors Smoke Camels”: The Biggest Medical Lie of the Century
2. Lucky Strike and Thinness: Dangerous Advertising Aimed at Women
7. Celebrity Smokers: The 20th Century’s Original Influencers
8. Smoking in Hospitals and on Planes: What Now Sounds Unbelievable
10. Cigarette Ad Photography: Aesthetic Tricks in Service of Smoke
Bonus: The Most Ridiculous (and Real) Cigarette Ads Ever Made
For much of the 20th century, tobacco reigned supreme in the world of advertising. Long before it was condemned by medicine and restricted by law, it was the star of some of the most brilliant, sophisticated, manipulative—and dangerous—marketing campaigns in history. Cigarettes were sold with glamour, humor, fake science, medical authority, fake feminism, or just plain unapologetic machismo.
The visuals were flawless. The strategy, airtight. The goal? Get you to smoke. And it worked—until it didn’t.
In this article, we take a look back at the most jaw-dropping tobacco ads ever made: the most sexist, absurd, outrageous, or just plain genius examples of advertising at its most influential. A visual record of how marketing can shape desire, culture—and the health of millions.
1. “More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette”
Let’s start strong. In the 1940s and ’50s, Camel ran a campaign featuring doctors in white coats, casually smoking during consultations and claiming that “most doctors” preferred their brand. Today, these ads are a textbook example of deceptive marketing built on fake authority.
The aesthetic was flawless: black and white photography, carefully staged lighting, technical language. If the doctor smoked, so could you.
The most twisted part? Many doctors really did smoke. That wasn’t the lie. What they didn’t tell you was what was happening inside their lungs.
👉 In Spain, it was Dr. Andreu’s “balsamic anti-asthma cigarettes” that made the rounds—marketed as a remedy, not a risk.
This article documents the history of Dr. Andreu’s laboratory, including his balsamic cigarettes, with photographs and context showing how they were marketed as a “therapeutic” treatment.
2. Lucky Strike and Thinness as a Selling Point: “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet”
Right in the middle of the obsession with slim beauty standards, Lucky Strike hit the perfect formula: skip dessert, have a cigarette instead. According to their campaign, you’d lose weight instead of gaining it.
This message wasn’t just false and dangerous—it preyed on a long-standing vulnerability in women: body control.
The graphic design of these ads was sleek, understated, very much ’30s and ’40s style. A refined look serving a literally toxic message.
3. The Marlboro Man: Masculinity, Machismo… and Lung Cancer
Born as an attempt to add masculinity to a brand originally aimed at women, the Marlboro Man became one of the most powerful icons of 20th-century advertising. Lone cowboys, horses, deserts, dust, and fire—the very image of rugged masculinity turned into an ad.
For years, the campaign was a massive hit. So much so that several actors who played the cowboy later died from tobacco-related illnesses.
The ultimate irony: the symbol of manliness became a symbol of tragedy.
👉 Here you can find an extensive collection of over 62,000 tobacco ads, including iconic campaigns like the Marlboro Man — Stanford SRITA.
4. Tipalet and Straight-Up Machismo: “Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere”
One of the most offensive and sexist ads ever published. It shows a man blowing cigarette smoke in a smiling woman’s face, with the slogan:
“Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere.”
Beyond how grotesque it is, this ad clearly shows how desire (and female submission) was used as a sales tactic. This kind of advertising didn’t just normalize machismo—it celebrated it.
The saddest part? It worked.
5. Advertising Targeted at Kids and Teens
For years, tobacco hid behind cartoons, comics, and “friendly” characters. The brand Candy Cigarettes sold sweet, candy versions of cigarettes for kids, mimicking the grown-up kind. Brands like Marlboro and Camel designed products and ad campaigns that looked tailor-made for minors.
There were even ads showing babies in the arms of smoking parents, or slogans like:
“Daddy needs to stay calm—that’s why he smokes!”
Normalization started from the cradle.
6. Virginia Slims and Manufactured Feminism: “You’ve come a long way, baby”
In the ’70s, amid the rise of second-wave feminism, tobacco companies spotted a new market: liberated women. Virginia Slims launched campaigns where smoking symbolized independence, freedom, and female empowerment.
The slogan “You’ve come a long way, baby” celebrated the modern woman… who just happened to need a cigarette to get there.
The images were sleek, modern, empowering... but the underlying message was the same: smoke, and you’ll succeed.
7. Celebrities as the Hook: Hitchcock, Sinatra, John Wayne
Hollywood was the tobacco industry’s biggest accomplice. Stars smoked on screen… and off.
John Wayne, for example, was a Camel icon—and later died of lung cancer. Alfred Hitchcock endorsed several brands. Frank Sinatra smoked as much as he sang. And nobody cared.
Celebrity worship beat any rational argument. If your idol did it, so would you.
8. Cigarettes in Hospitals, Planes, and Offices
Before smoke became a public health issue, it was just part of the scenery. People smoked in operating rooms, cockpits, classrooms, buses—even in toy commercials.
Some ads even showed nurses and patients sharing cigarettes. Others celebrated the “freedom” to smoke on international flights. It sounds like science fiction today. But it was reality.
All of this was driven by campaigns that made everyday life the perfect backdrop for smoking.
9. Subliminal Advertising and Cultural Presence
Though banned in many countries, subliminal tobacco advertising existed—and still exists—in disguised forms.
Brands like Marlboro infiltrated their style into Formula 1 long after direct advertising was banned. Colors, shapes, even stylized logos kept the brand alive without ever saying its name.
Tobacco was everywhere: movies, TV shows, album covers… and especially in major fashion magazines.
10. The Photographic Aesthetic: How Danger Was Disguised
Beyond the message, what really grabbed attention was the image. For decades, tobacco product and lifestyle photography became a visual masterclass for advertisers and photographers alike.
Bonus: The Most Absurd (and Real!) Cigarette Ads
Here’s a quick list of ad gems that today would seem like parody:
“Smoke for easier digestion”
“Smoke during childbirth to relax the uterus”
“Smoking is good for your throat”
“Babies also like the smell of tobacco”
“Athletes prefer Chesterfield”
Yes, all of this was published. In serious media. With millions spent.
Why did they work?
Tobacco advertising worked because it was seductive, smart, and flawlessly executed. It used every tool at its disposal: psychology, cinema, fashion, humor, fear, and desire.
It was a testing ground for creatives, photographers, agencies, and studios. And its success left a legacy: many of the visual and storytelling techniques we see in advertising today were born selling cigarettes.
Final Thought: Dangerous Aesthetics
The history of tobacco advertising is the story of deceptive beauty. Of dangerous aesthetics. Of how the best ideas can sell the worst products if given the right frame.
Today, we look at these ads with amazement, laughter, or horror. But above all, with a clear lesson: imagery is never innocent. It can inspire, it can transform… or it can kill.
👉 The WHO makes it clear in its guidelines on tobacco marketing and advertising: marketing strategies continue to evolve and still particularly impact young people.
📌 Did this deep dive leave an impact? Share it or drop a comment. Because to truly understand today’s advertising, you’ve got to know yesterday’s excesses.
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