The brief for this project was to take an existing brand and find a way to either reinvent or expand its branding in a logical way. Here I chose to use Marlboro, a classic American brand, that has the opportunity to expand into the smoking alternatives market.

This became an opportunity to experiment with this brand and product in multiple ways. Package experimentation was crucial because it provides the most important element of the product. There were three relatively different routes I took as the experimentation went on and I came to two of what I believe would make for very effective design solutions.

The first direction I think this product could head in is capitalizing on the Clint Eastwood aesthetic commonly associated with cigarettes and Marlboro in particular, and use an athlete as the face of a campaign introducing them.

Using a fight such as Nate Diaz, who has shown support for the marijuana industry, allows Marlboro to create a different narrative surrounding marijuana products. Compared to the lazy stoner archetype one might expect, someone like Diaz shows that an individual can be a hardworking athlete, highly productive, and still smoke these products.

The other option I believe could see success is leaning into the idea of relaxation and calming the nerves. Many people say that they smoke to relax, and CBD doesn't create an altered mindstate, but it does relax you. I think using a palm tree beach vacation aesthetic could help present this product with a controlled narrative as well. 

Looking at the billboards and web ads I've created you can see that these are very contrasting methods of essentially doing the same thing. They present a narrative about what this product is and what the consumer should identify as the smoke these cigarettes. You're either able to take on the mentality of a fighter soothing their body, or taking a moment out of your day to go on vacation; either of which sounds fine by me.