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Hello there!
You've made it to issue #3 (creative marketing)!
This Thursday you will receive a weekly newsletter with similar marketing psychology, creatives, cases, and news.
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Did you know that marketing campaigns have shaped our culture in more ways than you can imagine?
It's possible, women would never smoke cigarettes if not for this seemingly insignificant campaign that created the whole movement...
- Here you will learn how the cultural norms were created by marketing
Torches of Freedom?
Let's dive in!
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☠️ "Torches of Freedom"
How to manipulate masses to shape cultural norms and behaviors
The "Torches of Freedom" campaign was the first PR effort to persuade women to smoke cigarettes, at a time when smoking was mostly seen as a male activity in the 1920s. Despite the growing movements for women's equality, smoking for women was considered immoral and associated with prostitution.
George Washington Hill, president of the American Tobacco Company, wanted to expand the market for cigarettes to women. He approached Edward Bernays for help - the single man, who invented modern public relations we know today, and the nephew of Sigmund Freud.
Bernays was the first person to incorporate psychology and other social sciences into PR.
Bernays thought the best way to do it was through mass manipulation. He believed, manipulating the organized habits and opinions of the masses was essential in a democratic society. He sought to end the stigma around women smoking in public by linking cigarettes to notions of freedom and rebellion.
Bernays consulted with psychoanalyst A. A. Brill, who suggested that if he could connect cigarettes with challenging male power, women would smoke.
Bernays then organized a PR stunt that involved paying a group of high-class women to smoke their "torches of freedom" as they marched in the Easter Sunday Parade in New York City in 1929, protesting against gender inequality.
The plan was to inform the press that the group of suffragettes was preparing to protest by smoking.
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Instead of appearing to sell cigarettes, this seemingly spontaneous march appeared to be a part of the fight for gender equality. All of a sudden, smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes was a statement about women's equality.
The stunt was a huge success, and the next day, newspapers from all over the world wrote about the "Torches of Freedom." The message of the campaign was that smoking was a symbol of empowerment and liberation for women.
The campaign helped to break down the social barriers that existed between men and women with regard to smoking, and within months, the number of women smokers in the United States had increased significantly.
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By the 1930s, the tobacco industry became more sophisticated and used a diverse range of messages to promote products to the female market.
Freedom became equated with female intrusions into male public space, and women used smoking to challenge gender norms regarding tobacco consumption. Smoking was promoted as a substitute for the ballot, and cigarettes became symbols of freedom and rebellion.
Sources: 1, 2, 3
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🧠☠️ Why did it work?
Tapping into a movement
When you tap into an already existing movement and make your product a symbol of it, you bring to life a powerful machine that goes beyond just selling a product. You can tap into an idea, representing values, beliefs, and passions.
When people see your product as part of a larger movement, they are not just buying a physical item, they are buying into an idea or a cause that they feel strongly about. This goes into a deeper emotional connection between your product and the people who buy it.
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Torches of Freedom was without a doubt an unethical ploy. But a great example of how small, seemingly insignificant, but strategically placed actions can shape worldwide culture.
Now imagine, how much good to the world could be done, if this strategy was used for good purposes...
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