Your View: Why PHillip Morris Changed Its Name to Altria

Source from:  Southcoast Today 06/03/2011

Today the company is called Altria Group Inc., but since the beginning of the 20th century, it was always known as Phillip Morris. Originally incorporated in 1902, what began as a small New York City tobacco company grew into the great American corporation that stood behind the country's premium brand of cigarettes: Marlboro. Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Oreo and Maxwell House are just some of the other familiar products in its brand portfolio, although it will probably remain best known for the enduring image of the Marlboro Man. Starring in decades worth of advertisements, the Marlboro Man was practically an entity who embodied freedom, independence and the American spirit of wanderlust. He conjured up images of a "road less traveled" in the imagination of people who smoked his cigarettes, and he helped make Phillip Morris the powerhouse it is today. For that same reason, Altria now wants little to do with the former American icon. They see the Marlboro Man for the image that he has come to embody today. No longer does he roam freely amid the plains and mountains of the American Midwest. He has become a target, and he is hunted day and night. Gone are the open campfires in the company of wild mustangs and bison. He is a wanted man, for whom the reward money is greater than that of any other outlaw in American history. Few judges, magistrates and attorney generals look favorably on the crimes he stands both accused and convicted of, and the stiff verdicts they've handed down have proven that repeatedly. For the Marlboro Man is, after all, a convicted killer. He has been found liable in the suffering and misfortune of a great many current and former smokers, and the death toll that's been placed at his feet is heavy. The allegations, however, go far beyond numbers, as the tobacco lawsuits that have besieged Phillip Morris are filled with details of the lone cowboy's duplicitous behavior. They contend he intentionally deceived people into buying into a fool's gold fantasy, luring in impressionable and unsuspecting youth with empty promises of a free and independent life, while quietly laughing all the way to the bank. Although many of these lawsuits culminated in the landmark 1998 Tobacco Settlement, legal proceedings against the cigarette giant have by no means abated. Court battles persist around the country, with multi-billion dollar jury awards being given to plaintiffs with increasing frequency. In the eyes of his accusers, as well as many activist groups and anti-smoking coalitions, the Marlboro Man is little more than a con man, if not an outright predator. Notwithstanding the infamy, he can still muster his share of supporters. Yup, some believe that everyone knew the dangers associated with smoking and that the road less traveled could be fraught with peril. Considering that almost 1 out of every 4 adults in this country smokes, and that Phillip Morris USA maintains a market share dominance of 50 percent, it still has plenty of loyal patrons to whom the red and white pack represents far more than all the taxes and fines levied against it. So today the company is called Altria, and it's easy to understand why. For Phillip Morris, the writing on the wall was becoming too clear. They had little choice but to dissociate themselves with the Marlboro man, as the tarnish of the tobacco lawsuits and massive losses associated with them tell most of that story. In the various trading pits that comprise Wall Street, the concern today extends far beyond the Marlboro Man. Uncertainty lingers over the extent of the liabilities and whether the company can ultimately sustain them. With the storied history of Phillip Morris inseparably linked to the Marlboro Man, and the future of Altria contingent on a new identity without him, it remains to be seen what eventually becomes of the legendary cowboy. Enditem