Marlboro Man
The use of the Marlboro Man campaign had very significant and immediate effects on sales. In 1955, when the Marlboro Man campaign was started, sales were at $5 billion. By 1957, sales were at $20 billion, representing a 300% increase within two years. Philip Morris easily overcame growing health concerns through the Marlboro Man campaign, highlighting the success as well as the tobacco industry’s strong ability to use mass marketing to influence the public.
Three Men and a Comic Book
The Radioactive Man commercial for Laramie cigarettes that Bart and Lisa watch at the convention is a takeoff of "The Flintstones" starring in Winston cigarette television commercials which aired during the 1960s. When Bart begs Mrs. Glick not to apply iodine to his wounded arm, she grabs his arm and the scene shifts to their silhouettes as Bart screams, mirroring a scene in the 1939 film "Gone with the Wind". The accusation and suspicion that grows between the boys is similar to the plot of the film "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre".