2nd Annual Academic Symposium - Jonathan Bridges

An analysis of the “Marlboro Country” commercial by Philip Morris was conducted to measure the ethical ramifications of the ad’s message with the Four-part test created by Professor Bruce A. Williams. The test measures the ethics of a media message by asking four questions: Does the audience know who is speaking? Does the message provide a diverse point of view? Can a message verify or take responsibility for the claims it makes to be true? Does the message encourage the audiences to become engaged for a cause? The study explained how the advertisement linked to the Four-part test and how the link affected the overall effectiveness of the cigarette advertising campaign and its impact on the American public.