History of Philip Morris Company

The history of internationally known company originates from that moment when Philip Morris opened his only tobacco and cigarettes store in 1847 in London at Bond Street.

1919 became the turning point for the company. During this time Philip Morris acquired the emblem with a crown, Philip Morris Company in USA was taken up by the firm, belonged to the American shareholders, and the new corporation was registered in Virginia state under the name Philip Morris & Co., Ltd., Inc. By the end of the next decade the company begun to produce cigarettes on its factory in Richmond, Virginia state.

In 1924 Marlboro cigarettes appeared, becoming the most famous brand of the company.

Marlboro

The amazing Marlboro cigarette brand began in England 1847 and was initially targeted at female smokers. Aiming at this market segment was not successful, so in the 1920's Marlboro was re-targeted to female smokers in the United States. In this campaign it was stressed that Marlboro was a 'mild' cigarette. These efforts continued into World War II when the brand was eventually taken off the market.

In the 1950's Marlboro was again introduced to the market, this time on the heels of a stories about the negative health aspects of smoking. At the time, the vast majority of cigarettes being sold were non-filtered. Marlboro was a filtered cigarette, so this clearly was an attempt to win over the health conscience crowd.

The images used in their ads evolved more and more into those depicting particularly macho types. In the beginning, images of naval officers and livestock ranchers made the advertising scene. In 1954, the now well known 'Marlboro Man' was introduced, and by 1963 was the sole representative of Marlboro ads.

Around 1972, Marlboro cigarettes became the most popular brand, and have remained so, for the most part since then.
While the Marlboro brand may not be ranked at the top any longer, it still retains a value in excess of $21 billion. That figure places it above such brands as American Express, Hewlett-Packard, and Gillette.