Why does Marlboro sponsor Ferrari?

The Ferrari Formula One team and tobacco company Philip Morris International announced on Monday the renewal of one of the longest-running and least obvious ... In 2010 a “bar code” livery was removed from the Ferrari cars after complaints that it represented subliminal advertising for Marlboro. read more

Marlboro remain sponsors of Ferrari for a number of reasons, but the main reason is to create and maintain brand awareness, and that’s despite the fact that they are simply not allowed to put their name or logo on the car. read more

Marlboro liveries are so iconic because of their brilliant simplicity. One look gets the message across, as any great advertising should do. And because cigarette brands were willing to buy the entire car's surface, secondary sponsors could be pushed to the wing endplates, where they wouldn't interrupt the primary advertising space or colors. read more

Marlboro remain the biggest sponsor of Ferrari (indeed F1's biggest sponsor too) even though their logo does not appear on the cars or at any of the tracks. It is believed that Marlboro sponsor the team and, in return, own the livery of the car in that they buy the sponsorship and make money by subletting space to other sponsors like UPS. read more