I Luv Marlboro

Marlboro, one of the most popular brands in the world was first marketed as a mild cigarette for women in the 1920s. It had a market share of less than 1%. When reports were published linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer, Philip Morris added a filter tip, gave a macho image to the brand and created marketing history. The ad agency, Leo Burnett is credited for making the most remarkable and memorable ad campaign by associating Marlboro to the cowboy. Overnight, from nothing to a 5000% increase in sales was reported. It was certainly a rags-to-riches story for the brand. The ad campaign is so popular, that the color red and the inverted V sign on the Marlboro pack is recognised even without the brand name being mentioned.

But then, in the 1970s, ban on cigarette advertising on TV and radio was enforced. Marlboro took to the roads.....literally....it started to adorn the billboards across the US freeways. With more stringent rules in place, and the emergence of the Internet as a worldwide point-of-sale, Marlboro adopted various methods of camoflagued advertising(subliminal). It entered pubs and bars, encouraged internet chat among Marlboro smokers, conducted contests, pampered customers with visits to Marlboro Country (ranch in Montana), redecorated pubs with red furniture and a host of other things. It went back to its retailers and charged lesser for their stock than the competitors and commanded nearly 60% of the retailer's shelf space.

In Nov 2005, Marlboro celebrated its 50th B'day bash by inviting its select customers to entertainment shows across U.S. cities. The brand continues to be the market leader and holds 40% of the US market share, way ahead of its competitors.

On the flip side, there has been many spoof ads on Marlboro and two of the models who endorsed the brand died of lung cancer. But ........I luv Marlboro!