The classic cigarette as a museum exhibit: How is Philip Morris changing the industry?

Transformation requires a balanced approach, and at Philip Morris International, we are committed to a two-step model—following our mission for a smoke-free future, we put the consumer at the center of everything we do. This was stated during the Economic.bg – ALL IN business forum by Denis Strobykin, General Manager of Philip Morris Bulgaria, who took part in the first discussion panel INnovations for INdustry: TRANSFORMERS.

The transformation we began years ago required the definition of a very strong internal vision – namely, achieving a smoke-free future within a reasonable time frame. In this process, our consumers' preferences are extremely important to us, especially in a world where everything is changing so rapidly," he said.

It was exactly 10 years ago that the company's main smoke-free alternative, IQOS, appeared on the Japanese market, and a decade later it is now present in 90 markets around the world.

The change we have achieved during this time is enormous – according to our financial results for the second quarter of 2024, 36 million adult smokers worldwide use the smoke-free products in our portfolio. In Bulgaria, there are already 400,000."

The company's vision for a smoke-free future was defined long before the product itself appeared, and over the past 16 years, $12.5 billion has been invested in research and development.

We knew that the world was changing and that it was important to initiate positive change in the industry as well. We knew that the measures taken so far to reduce smoking rates were not working. We needed to develop an alternative to traditional cigarettes with the potential to reduce harm for those adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke," added Strobykin.

According to the general manager of Philip Morris Bulgaria, big change always starts with a change in mindset, both in business and among consumers. He explained that it is normal to encounter resistance at first – this applies to most decisions in our lives that lead to change.

To implement an innovation, it is important to have the support of all parties involved in the process – businesses, consumers, regulators, and society as a whole. Specifically, in our case, we are talking about products that have the potential to reduce the harm from traditional smoking and tobacco smoke for the individual consumer, but also to have a positive impact on public health as a whole."

When asked what Strobykin's vision for 2050 is, he replied that he envisions more investment and breakthroughs in biotechnology that will improve our lives.

Translated with DeepL.