From the Marlboro Man to Real Estate
Why Knowing Your Buyer (and How to Speak to Them) Matters
In advertising, few personas are as iconic as the Marlboro Man. Rugged, independent, and stoic, he didn’t just sell cigarettes; he sold freedom and masculinity. And here’s the kicker: Marlboro wasn’t even a ‘man’s’ brand to begin with—it was originally marketed to women.
Phillip Morris (Marlboro’s parent company) wanted to change the stereotype of filtered cigarettes being smoked by women. Obviously, because they wanted to sell more cigarettes. (Please read the P.S. below.)
By understanding their audience and reshaping their message, the company created one of the most successful campaigns in advertising history.
When the Marlboro Man ad first appeared in 1955, sales of Marlboro were $2bn. By 1957, that figure had jumped to $20bn - a 900% increase in two years.
What can real estate agents who love to write their own property descriptions learn from this?
Plenty.
1. Know Your Buyer Like Marlboro Knew Theirs
The Marlboro Man wasn’t born from guesswork. The advertisers behind him knew their target market. They understood that men craved an image of rugged individualism, so they tailored their message to speak directly to that desire.
In real estate, the same principle applies. You’re not selling a three-bedroom house; you’re selling a lifestyle. For the young professional, it’s a sleek inner-city apartment promising a vibrant social life. For a family, it’s the perfect suburban retreat with space to grow. To effectively market a property, you need to identify your audience, speak their language, and get into their imagination.
2. Did the Words Matter?
While the visuals of men on horseback rounding up wild brumbies on snow-capped mountain ranges spoke volumes, the words were carefully scripted by ad icon Leo Burnett. ‘Come to where the flavour is. Come to Marlboro Country.’
Simple. Evocative. Pure genius.
For agents who write their own copy, it’s not about fluffy words and embellishment—it’s about condensing it down to the essence of the home, and getting your potential buyers to imagine waking up in their new bedroom, the curtains billowing in the breeze; making coffee in their new kitchen, toast popping up on queue, and all the joy that brings.
Without this skill, a property risks being just another listing in a crowded market. With it, buyers feel like the agent understands their dreams, values, and aspirations—making them far more likely to take action.
The Marlboro Man wasn’t simply a cowboy but a masterclass in understanding and speaking to an audience. In real estate, knowing your buyer and communicating masterfully with them is the difference between busy open homes and fat pipelines, and cranky vendors.
P.S. I’m 100% against smoking after having a chain-smoking father for whom I’d have to go up to the fish and chips shop to buy smokes (his brand was Alpine). Sad fact - 5 of the men who appeared in the ads over the years died of smoking-related diseases.