| A Rose by Any Other Name |
17 February 2003
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Philip Morris is Now Altria, Still Sells Smokes
Towards the end of January, Philip Morris changed its name to Altria. As the firm's web site put it, "By changing its name, Altria Group will clarify its identity as what it is: a parent company to both tobacco and food companies that manage some of the world’s most successful brands." Maybe, but the current TV ads designed to get the consumer to understand the name change is likely waste money.
The fact is that Altria owns General Foods, Kraft, Jacobs Suchard and Nabisco, and the man-in-the-street probably didn't know that his macaroni and cheese in the box was tied to lung cancer by way of Philip Morris cigarettes. And if he knew, he most likely didn't care. So the name change and the money spent telling the world about it won't mean a thing when it comes to profits and marketshare.
The move is a classic mistake of modern American business, the belief that by using a different word, the substance has changed. Those who cared that Nabisco crackers were made by the same people who produce cigarettes will not be charmed by this change, and the vast majority never knew and so couldn't care. It does not rival "New Coke" for silliness, but it is likely a waste of funds.
Of course, there is the charge that the firm is trying to get away from its tobacco image to something less actionable and objectionable. The company says it isn't, but the truth hasn't been the strong suit of the tobacco companies historically.