By 1979, Marlboro became the top selling brand in the US. Marlboro’s sales in the year 1979 accounted for $ 103.6 billion. Marlboro continued its successful innings through out the 1980s. In 1991 and 1992, Marlboro was ranked as the most valuable brand in the world consecutively for two years by Financial World. At this time, the ad campaign featuring the Marlboro man was considered as one of the most successful ad campaigns in the history of the US.
In 1998, the US government implemented the Master Settlement Agreement which imposed severe restrictions on the advertising and promotion of tobacco products in the US. This meant that Philip Morris could not freely advertise for its products as before. In spite of these restrictions, Marlboro continued to be a leading brand in the US market.
In August 2005, BusinessWeek ranked Marlboro at number 10 among the top 100 global brands for the year 2005. Marlboro was valued at $ 22,128 million.
The "Marlboro Man" and "Marlboro Country" are today widely recognized symbols of American culture and commerce, both in the United States and around the world. They have been part of one of the longest running advertising campaigns of all time for more than 35 years, and they have come to occupy a prominent place in the global landscape of consumer products and fantasies.