Julius Caesar’s words “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) appear on the Marlboro cigarette packet. They would appear to be used as a motto by Philip Morris, but I don’t know why: perhaps they are claiming to have conquered the tobacco market (or to have brought about the deaths of many more people than Caesar did).
Since the brand came out just as young GI's were returning from an unsatisfactory war in Korea, it is clear that Philip Morris was after something with a war motif. Something that would appeal to returning soldiers. Something that looked like a medal.
That explains why Marlboro has a bright red "ribbon" at the top of the box, a crest that resembles a medal and a slogan borrowed from Caesar at his most victorious: "Veni. Vidi. Vici." I came. I saw. I conquered. Philip Morris also took the risk of retaining the Marlboro name because it echoed the military title of Sir Winston Churchill's renowned ancestor, the Duke of Marlborough, a 17th Century general. Names of successful military leaders near times of war have a powerful resonance--roughly equivalent to the attention given General Colin Powell in the aftermath of the Gulf War.
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