Marlboro

cigarette

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June 30, 2026

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Marlboro is a prominent cigarette brand manufactured by Philip Morris Inc., a subsidiary of Altria Group. Introduced in the mid-1950s, Marlboro gained popularity through its use of cowboy imagery in advertising, eventually propelling the company to become the second-largest cigarette maker in the United States by the mid-1970s.1

The mass production of cigarettes, revolutionized by the Bonsack machine in 1880, made them more accessible and affordable, leading to a decline in pipe-smoking and chewing habits. Cigarettes became widely adopted, especially during World War I, where they were seen as a source of relief for soldiers. The mid-20th century marked a golden age for cigarettes, with widespread social acceptance and glamorization in media, contributing to their popularity across various demographics.2

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smoking
Mass production and mass appeal
…example, in 1925 introduced the Marlboro brand as a woman’s cigarette: “Mild as May”—and more to do with the impact of war and a direct confrontation with societal attitudes by so-called new women. Most important, the cigarette habit was legitimated, celebrated, and glamourized on the Hollywood screen and transported to…
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…example, in 1925 introduced the Marlboro brand as a woman’s cigarette: “Mild as May”—and more to do with the impact of war and a direct confrontation with societal attitudes by so-called new women. Most important, the cigarette habit was legitimated, celebrated, and glamourized on the Hollywood screen and transported to…
Read More

Altria Group
…cowboy imagery to advertise its Marlboro brand of cigarettes, and Marlboro’s ever-growing popularity propelled the company to second place among American cigarette makers by the mid-1970s. In 1978 Philip Morris acquired the international cigarette business of the Liggett Group Inc. (formerly Liggett & Myers). By the early 1980s the company…
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…cowboy imagery to advertise its Marlboro brand of cigarettes, and Marlboro’s ever-growing popularity propelled the company to second place among American cigarette makers by the mid-1970s. In 1978 Philip Morris acquired the international cigarette business of the Liggett Group Inc. (formerly Liggett & Myers). By the early 1980s the company…
Read More