Table of Contents
Table of Contents 2
The history of Philip Morris and the Marlboro 2
The Marlboro 3
The control power 4
The intended message of the Marlboro 4
Redefinition of masculinity 5
Secondary messages of the Marlboro 5
Marlboro Man 6
Marlboro Country 7
References 7
The history of Philip Morris and the Marlboro
The history of what is now a global company can be traced back to Philip Morris's 1847 opening of a single shop on London's Bond Street, selling tobacco and ready-made cigarettes.
On Mr Morris's death, the business was taken over by his wife Margaret and his brother Leopold. In 1881 the company went public, Leopold Morris joining Joseph Grunebaum to establish Philip Morris & Company and Grunebaum, Ltd. This partnership was dissolved in 1885 and the company became known as Philip Morris & Co., Ltd.
The company finally left the founding family's control in 1894, when it was taken over by William Curtis Thomson and his family. Under Thomson, the company was appointed tobacconist to King Edward VII and, in 1902, was incorporated in New York, by Gustav Eckmeyer. Ownership was split 50-50 between the British parent and American partners. Eckmeyer had been sole agent for Philip Morris in the US since 1872, importing and selling English-made cigarettes.
1919 was a crucial year for the company. It saw the introduction of the Philip Morris coronet logo, the acquisition of the Philip Morris Company in the US by a new firm owned by American stockholders, and its incor ...