Finding The Marlboro Man
Initially, commercials involving the Marlboro Man featured paid models, such as William Thourlby, pretending to carry out cowboy tasks. However, Burnett felt that the commercials lacked authenticity, as it was pretty clear that the subjects were not real cowboys and did not have the desired rugged look. Leo Burnett was not satisfied with the cowboy actors until they came across Darrell Winfield, who worked on a ranch. Leo Burnett’s creative director was awed when he first saw Winfield: “I had seen cowboys, but I had never seen one that just really, like, sort of scared the hell out of me.” Winfield’s immediate authenticity led to his 20 year run as being the Marlboro Man, which lasted until the late 1980s, upon Winfield’s retirement. After Winfield’s retirement, Philip Morris reportedly spent $300 million searching for a new Marlboro Man.
After appearing as the Marlboro Man in 1987 advertising, former rodeo cowboy Brad Johnson landed a lead role in Steven Spielberg's Always (1989) with Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfuss.
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