Philip Morris
Philip Morris
Philip Morris became the largest tobacco company of the 20th century with brands like Marlboro and Virginia Slims. But when tobacco’s negative health effects became irrefutable in the 1990s, the company knew it had a problem. Rather than stop making a product that kills one-third of its users, Philip Morris decided to change its name to Altria Group in 2003.
Much like Facebook’s plans, the Philip Morris name didn’t completely die. Altria Group simply became the umbrella company housing all of the corporation’s other interests, like Kraft Foods.
A lot has changed since 2003, when the Altria name was first started. The company sold Kraft, then spun off its overseas division, Philip Morris International, leaving just Philip Morris USA under the Altria name.
