Making the Marlboro Man

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Marlboro is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Despite being a product that cannot be advertised across much of the globe, it has remained the best-selling cigarette brand for decades. But it didn't begin with the Marlboro Man. The brand started as a struggling women's cigarette, complete with a colored filter meant to match the smoker's lipstick. What followed was one of the most impressive rebrandings in business history. Come with us to Marlboro Country.Philip Morris: the early yearsIn 1847, a London tobacconist named Philip Morris opened a small shop on Bond Street, selling hand-rolled cigarettes sourced from Russia, Turkey, and Egypt. At the time, tobacco smoking was already well established across Europe, primarily through pipes and cigars. Cigarettes, however, were only beginning to spread, influenced in part by practices from the Ottoman Empire.After Morris died in 1873, the business passed to his widow and brother, who continued operating under the family name. Over time, the business expanded beyond the shop into a portfolio of branded cigarettes, including Cambridge, Oxford Blues, and Derby, distributed through a growing network of retailers. Like much of the industry at the time, Philip Morris primarily targeted male smokers. But within its portfolio sat one exception: Marlborough – a brand positioned toward women.Mild as MayAfter decades of building its tobacco business in the domestic British market, Philip Morris expanded abroad, establishing a New York subsidiary in 1902 to bring its brands to the U.S. Over the years that followed, the American business developed into a more independent operation, increasingly shaped by local consumer preferences.In 1924, Philip Morris Americanized the brand and launched Marlboro in the U.S., marketing it to women through magazines and newspapers. Smoking cigarettes had long been popular among men, but the roaring twenties brought with it many changes. Most interestingly for Philip Morris, it was becoming socially acceptable for American women to smoke. The relaunched brand, now with American spelling, moved early to capture the opportunity.The campaigns featured fashionable women smoking elegantly, positioning the cigarette as “Mild as May” with the slogan “Always Fresh – Wrapped in Heavy Foil,” alongside copy that framed Marlboro as a symbol of social status.While the marketing material so...

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