Final answer:
The author connects emotional branding to Marlboro's success by explaining how the Marlboro Man campaign associated cigarettes with masculinity and rugged individualism, altering public perception and appealing to American cultural identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Emotional Branding and Marlboro's Success:
The author Josselyn Arrieta-Meraz in 'For Man's Flavor Come to Marlboro Country' discusses the connection between emotional branding and Marlboro's success. Emotional branding is a powerful marketing strategy that associates a brand with certain emotions or desirable states of being.
Marlboro achieved this through imagery of 'manly' men, aligning the act of smoking cigarettes with the attributes of masculinity and rugged individualism. This targeted emotional angle effectively transformed the public's perception of cigarettes and created a strong customer base. By tying into deeper sentiments, Marlboro established not just a product, but a symbol of American identity that appealed to the emotive desires of consumers.
Examples of this would be their advertisements that portrayed the Marlboro Man, a figure that encapsulated the ideal of a tough and independent cowboy. This branding not only differentiated Marlboro from competitors but also repositioned cigarettes as a product embraced by stoic, hardworking, American men, which was previously stigmatized. It engaged the cultural identity of the time, influencing consumers' self-image and lifestyle aspirations. The Marlboro Man became an icon, and this successful emotional branding played a crucial role in making Marlboro a leading cigarette brand.