Feature 005: Albert Lasker and Lucky Strikes

I was doing my research on advertising and came across this book, '5 Giants of Advertising.' Being only 1/5 of the way through, I was introduced to the founder of modern advertising, Albert Lasker. Never did I think I will stumble across a text book that will make me laugh out loud.

He was an influential figure because he was the first to put emphasis into copy writing. In fact, he started the first copy writing team in the world within his own ad agency, Lord & Thomas.

Another thing that I wanted to share besides facts on this awesome old guy, was a Lucky Strike ad that was made incredibly famous. Ad like this faced no possibility of getting out to the public at all these days.

The headline was: Light a Lucky and you'll never miss sweets that make you fat. The idea came from a mischievous intent on Lasker's part. Back then, sales of sweets were compromised by cigarettes, therefore the industry allocated a large sum of money for a campaign saying sucking on sweets will curb the need for a smoke. Lasker then retaliated by creating one of the most famous slogan of all time.

Do you see how this ad will not make it to print in today's time? On the ad, it also said, "No Throat Irritation, No Cough."

This was the copy on the ad:

"Instead of eating in between meals... instead of fattening sweets... beautiful women keep youthful slenderness these days by smoking Luckies. The smartest and loveliest women of the modern stage take this means of keeping slender... when others nibble fattening sweets, they light a Lucky!

.....

For years, this has been no secret to those men who keep fit and trim. They know that Lucky steady their nerves and do not harm their physical condition............ They respect the opinions of 20,679 physicians who maintain that Luckies are less irritating to the throat than other cigarettes."

Cigarettes were considered healthy back in those days, about early 1900s. There is nothing keeping us from discoveing something that we might take religiously now because of its health benefits and having it turn its head on us in years to come.

Advertising is a great power. Therefore, I shall conclude this post by stating, "With great power comes great responsibility."


ps: cliche-ish, i know.