Smokin': Classic Cigarette Commercials

By law, cigarette advertisements officially left U.S. television airwaves on January 1, 1971, but prior to this, such spots filled commercial breaks. Manufacturers didn't limit their outreach to adults; they also marketed to teens and children. Moreover, each brand bore a slightly different trademark, such as the raw masculinity of Marlboro and the innocent (teen-oriented) image of Lucky Strike. The compilation SMOKIN' brings into a single collection many of the most memorable American cigarette ads from the 1950s and 1960s, and thereby explores how cunning advertising agencies tapped into cultural trends to sell millions of Americans on tobacco.