Marlboro Mobile App Reaches Milestone
RICHMOND, Va. — Altria Group Inc.’s Marlboro app — featuring mobile couponing — is now accepted at more than 100,000 retail locations, covering 70 percent of industry volumes, Altria Chairman, President and CEO Marty Barrington reported during the company’s 2016 first-quarter earnings call last week.
“The Marlboro app continues to receive good feedback. “It has been well received," he said. "It is a very good cooperation with our trade partners.”
The app delivers mobile coupons to customers, which can be accepted at local retailers for discounts on tobacco products.
As CSNews Online previously reported, the mobile coupons are available nationwide. "It's a tremendous step forward in terms of efficiency and meeting adult smokers where they are,” Barrington said in October.
As for the mobile app itself, Barrington previously said Altria is excited to embrace technological innovation. "It's responsibly done, aged verified and it will be a place for the brand to connect again with adult smokers in a very innovative way in the digital space. We are very excited about both of those innovations."
2016 BEGINS WELL FOR ALTRIA
2016 is off to a good start for Altria, with the company reporting net income of $1.22 billion for the three-month period ended March 31, compared to $1.02 billion in profits for the same period in 2015.
“Altria is off to an excellent start in 2016, growing diluted earnings per share by 14.3 percent despite a tough 2015 comparison,” said Barrington. “Our first-quarter results illustrate the strength of our core tobacco business and our focus on execution.”
Altria’s smokeable product segment was the shining star, he added. “The smokeable products segment continued its outstanding performance with contributions across the brand portfolio,” he noted. “In smokeless products, USSTC [U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co.] continues to execute its strategies, including the successful national expansion of its innovative Copenhagen Mint.”
Altria Group Inc. is the parent company for Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., Nu Mark and Ste. Michele Wine Estates. Altria also holds a continuing economic and voting interest in SABMiller. The brand portfolios of Altria’s tobacco operating companies include Marlboro, Black & Mild, Copenhagen, Skoal, MarkTen and Green Smoke.