How do I even begin to explain what it was like to work on Marlboro? First, the good. A client with a massive budget. A brand recognized in every corner of the planet. And yes, an addictive product. Now the—shall we use a euphemism?Challenges. It is illegal in most global markets for Marlboro to advertise via TV, print, web, mobile...really any traditional means of communication. The only way the cowboy can talk to a customer is if that customer is 1) 18+ years old* 2) currently a smoker 3) interested in signing an explicit written statement saying that yes, they want the world's largest tobacco company to send them "special offers." As you can imagine, these stipulations cut down the possibilities significantly.
I was one half of the consumer engagement team, which meant pretty much anything non-traditional. Dreaming up concepts so exciting that smokers would voluntarily sign up to get involved with the brand.
