Promoting “Lucky Strike”

The importance of the case “Promoting Lucky Strike to Women” is that it signifies and exemplifies the origins of modern public relations. At the time (1920’s), new ideas related to consumer behavior were being explored. Public persuasion became an important angle to analyze and although the Lucky Strike campaign makes it seem it is easy to sway public opinion, the reality is very different.

· 1920’s not socially accepted for women to smoke outdoors or in public places
· ATC-Lucky Strike- G.W. Hill campaigns aimed at women.
--- Parade of freedom-Women lighting torches (cigarettes) outside
---“Reach for a Lucky Instead of a Sweet” - Next year sales up 200%
· Target: Health-Fashion-Women Interests. Smoking as health aid to lose weight, look slim
· New advertising, marketing, public relations ideas in the 1920’s
--- Green is hope, spring, victory, plenty. Suggests calm, peace, serenity
--- Use of Green in Fashion -New York-Paris. Lucky Strike pack colors
· Entertainment industry -Many women in the movies were now smoking.
· Ads featured movie stars and personalities showing Luckies as appetite suppressants.

The ad on the upper left features Billy Burke, the Good Witch in "The Wizard of Oz."

“Age-old customs, I learned, could be broken down by a dramatic appeal, disseminated by the network media.” Bernays P.93

Many consider Edward Bernays (psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s nephew) the father of modern public relations. He believed manipulation of public opinion could be achieved by using psychology.

Bernays and G.W. Hill worked together to plan and develop new media campaigns for the Lucky Strike brand. In essence, they pioneered the Public Relations use of psychology to create public persuasion campaigns and bring attention to the extreme power the various media outlets can have on society when properly utilized.