Philip Morris, a well-known tobacconist, founded Marlboro in England in 1847.

Morris began producing his own brand of tobacco in England in 1854.

Philip Morris died in 1873, and his company was taken over by his wife and brother after his death.

Marlboro did not become a commercial phenomenon overnight; it had to fight hard for it.

Let's have a look at how Marlboro became the world's most famous cigarette brand. 

About the company-

In 1902, the wife and brother of Philip Morris founded Philip Morris and Company, a tobacco subsidiary in New York.

In 1908, the legal label "Marlboro" was registered in the United States.

Since registering the Marlboro trademark in 1908, the company did not begin selling tobacco under the Marlboro branding until 1923.

Marlboro's growth and success over the years

Marlboro first concentrated on developing soft tobacco that would be less detrimental to one's health.

At first, it positioned Marlboro cigarettes as an American luxury cigarette.

Marlboro first targeted the substance at women because it was soft. 

To place the product as cigarettes for women, the slogan "Mild as Can" was used.

Marlboro's early marketing strategy was to place the product as soft tobacco, which were less detrimental to one's wellbeing.

Filtered cigarettes were not common with men at the time because they did not match in with their macho image.

Marlboro's ad strategy at the time was mainly aimed at women.

The first promotion campaign for the brand Marlborough took place in 1885, with the slogan "ladies favourite."

In order to appeal to a wider audience, Marlboro coloured the filter red in order to obscure the colour of the lipstick.

This filter was dubbed "Beauty Tips to Keep the Paper off Your Lips" by Marlboro. 

Despite developing a variety of cigarette brands and marketing strategies, Marlboro struggled to capture market share during this time span.

Marlboro was also hampered by external environmental causes.

The number of cigarettes sold fell dramatically between World Wars I and II. Marlboro had to exit the market because the company only sold 1% of all tobacco manufactured during WWII.

Marlboro had lost its market share when World War II ended, and it had to start again.

Many scientists released a paper in the 1950s claiming that smoking causes lung cancer.

Filtered cigarettes were thought to be safer than unfiltered cigarettes. 

Marlboro considered repositioning itself to appeal to a specific group of men who were worried about their health.

It was this decision that established Marlboro as the business it is today.

Who would have guessed that a repositioning to cover a niche market would lead to the world's largest cigarette retail company? Marlboro was sceptical about switching from a women's brand to a men's brand.

However, an increase in market share from 1% to the fourth best-selling brand persuaded Philip Morris to abandon the manly figures portfolio in favour of the cowboy, later known as the Marlboro Man. 

Since the 1960s, Marlboro began to market its tobacco as "manly" cigarettes.

Marlboro launched a marketing strategy to place the cigarette as a sign of machismo. 

Marlboro's campaign included a lineup of manly personalities such as boat captains, weightlifters, war correspondents, construction men, and so on. 

Marlboro's Current Situation 

Marlboro also sponsors a variety of adventure sports around the world, including Formula 1 and superbike races.

It aids in positioning itself as a symbol of manliness in the marketplace.

In 2018, the value of Marlboro was $81.91 billion dollars.

Marlboro has been the world's best-selling tobacco brand since 1972.

And those who are addicted to smoke, Marlboro labels offer a distinctly American flavour.