This document provides background information on Marlboro cigarettes and its manufacturer Philip Morris USA (PM). It discusses how Marlboro transitioned from being a woman's cigarette in the 1920s to becoming the top selling cigarette brand in the US by the 1980s through associating the brand with masculinity and the cowboy image. The document also summarizes PM's marketing strategies for Marlboro from the 1950s to 2005, which evolved from TV and magazine ads to new age tactics like events, bars, websites and direct mail promotions after advertising restrictions in the late 1990s. It provides context on the tobacco industry, regulations, and PM's position as the leading cigarette company in the US.