Altria Group entered China.

Philip Morris Company: The road to China in ten years is unpredictable.

Just as Gallagher and Imperial Tobacco pried open the China market, Philip Morris, which had been painstakingly operating in China for ten years, seemed very calm. In the domestic market, there are many kinds of products sold, such as soft and hard Marlboro, soft package super-long Marlboro, soft package special alcohol Marlboro, hard box special alcohol mint Marlboro and so on.

In the eyes of foreign media, Philip Morris Company has not made significant substantive progress, and the door of China market is still closed to them. Some insiders say that this calm surface may be an erupting volcano.

"In our country, I think people who smoke probably know Marlboro. Marlboro gives people the impression that it is very rough and manly. Even non-smokers may know that there is a Marlboro clothing brand. Many of my friends like to smoke Marlboro, which is pure and famous. " A man with a half-burned Marlboro cigarette in his hand said this about Marlboro.

For smokers, Philip Morris, which produces Marlboro, may not be as famous as its brand name; For the tobacco industry, the name of Philip Morris, the world's largest tobacco giant, is well known. Philip Morris's ten years of painstaking efforts in China have achieved certain results.

Since China's reform and opening up, Philip Morris has been drooling over China, the only remaining "fat meat" in the world today. In the past ten years, Philip Morris has traveled all over China.

Philip Morris Company began to understand the tobacco industry in China in the late 1980s, when he cooperated with Ningbo Cigarette Factory to develop international brands of cigarettes. By 1994, Philip Morris made a breakthrough in cooperation with Ningbo Cigarette Factory, and jointly produced Marlboro, which was sold in China with an annual output of 6,400 boxes. In order to ensure technical support, two senior technicians from Philip Morris stayed in Ningbo for one year. Technical support has been made clear in the formulation of mixed cigarettes and tobacco processing. In the same year, Philip Morris also cooperated with Shanghai Cigarette Factory to produce Marlboro for sale in China, with an annual output of 6,400 cases. This year, Philip Morris signed a contract with Henan Baofeng Tobacco Company, which is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains. In order to ensure the stable quality of purchased tobacco leaves, China Tobacco Corporation started to build cooperative bases with Feimo in Henan, Fujian and Hubei from 65438 to 0995, and also supported local tobacco farmers to plant burley tobacco in Gaoliang area of Qujing City.

In order to expand market share and influence, Philip Morris also tried to create a new way of cooperation with China Tobacco Factory. From 65438 to 0998, Henan Anyang Cigarette Factory and Murphy Company signed the "Export Contract for Joint Development of Cigarettes with the Same Brand". The main mode of cooperation between the two sides is technical cooperation. After the co-branded products are put on the market, Chinese mainland will be responsible for overseas sales, while China will be responsible for sales in China.

Philip Morris has made all-round preparations for expanding the China market. In addition to direct cooperation in tobacco and cigarette production, Philip Morris has also made great efforts in talent localization. On the first day when the Ministry of Education of China stipulated that enterprises were allowed to enter colleges and universities to recruit graduates in 2001120, Philip Morris held a special job fair in Tsinghua to compete with other multinational companies for talents.

By the end of 2002, Philip Morris had set up 65,438+06 offices in key cities in China, with more than 65,438+000 full-time employees, and the China market development headquarters was located in Hongkong. From the early 1990s, Philip Morris began to train marketing personnel in China, and even went to China Tobacco System to recruit talents, specializing in investigating the cigarette market in China, secretly selling light and fragrant cigarettes in the coastal areas of China, and cultivating smokers' tastes.

Therefore, although the history of Philip Morris in China is far less glorious than that of British American Tobacco, its strong brand advantage has even greater influence on the China market than that of British American Tobacco. According to many public opinion surveys, Marlboro's popularity in China is far greater than "555". This is mainly due to Philip Morris's powerful advertising strategy.

In recent ten years, Murphy brand, represented by Marlboro, has not only published street sign advertisements in China, but also published indoor cigarette brand advertisements, and even published advertisements on public transport in major cities in China. In addition, sun umbrella advertisements all over the country are also very eye-catching. Marlboro casual wear and Marlboro leisure life museum can also be seen in some cities. In addition, the Marlboro Football League sponsored by Philip Morris is talked about by football fans.