19 Vintage Alcohol and Tobacco Ads That Show the Power of Good Marketing

Smoking a cigarette used to be cool. And before it was cool, it was glamorous, like drinking a gin martini. Now, we know it'll probably kill us, which tears some of that sexiness away. As for alcohol, you could make an argument for moderation, but we all know it doesn't always sit right in the stomach. Despite the health warnings and personal misgivings, we're still head-over-heels for our favorite vices. And for that we can thank the marketing tactics of big alcohol and big tobacco, who sold us an image of indulgence so tantalizing, we'll probably be smoking and drinking 'til the end of time.

An entire century of advertising is covered in Jim Heimann: 20th Century Alcohol & Tobacco Ads, from the glitz of the Gatsby era to the rugged stoicism of the Marlboro Man. These are the ads that wooed us, and our parents, and our parents' parents, over to the dark side of smokes and booze. Here is an inside look at the book, which is available for pre-order now.

Jim Heimann: 20th Century Alcohol & Tobacco Ads ($40), amazon.com