“A cigar brings out the caveman in you.” – Cigar Institute of America
It is hard to argue with this ad except perhaps it’s not just the cigar that brings out the caveman in this ad but the ad itself because this display of masculine superiority is so gauche and primitive.
Smoke a cigar for that man-size (there’s that description again because it appears “man-size” was the biggest size for comparison in the 60s) feeling of power. The ad implies that smoking a cigar will turn you into the strongest and manliest Palaeolithic cave dweller, complete with your submissive cavegirl in her sexy one-shoulder animal print dress, worshiping you at your very feet.
Add a big club to complete the picture of Cro-Magnon dominance. It is interesting to see how the people behind the ad managed to shrewdly say “you needn’t inhale to enjoy them” because inhaling toxic cigar smoke can cause coughing fits, acid reflux, damage to your lungs, and increased risk of cancer, but they’re not subtle at all with the degree of sexism in the ad.