Jests id1984:
"Let me assuage that notion right now; Phillip Morris is no more a multi-national corporation then your Neighborhood Bakery."
Says Philip Morris' own web site (http://www.philipmorris.com/Home.asp):
"With products for sale in over 175 markets worldwide, Philip Morris International manages the world's leading international cigarette business."
As for them stopping children from smoking, they give away free cigarettes to children as young as 10 years old in the countries that have not yet stopped them from doing it. They go as far as they legally can to get as many children to start smoking as they can, using whatever method they can get away with in any particular country.
In the United States, their specific marketing method consists of projecting the image of "Saint Philip Morris", the company that sponsors Meals on Wheels (I'm sure they make an annual tax-deductable donation to it, but they certainly do not run the program). The other, and more important part of their marketing, is to project smoking as a sophisticated activity.
I have written another node about their deceptive get-the-kids-to-smoke ads. Let me add to it that nowhere in their ads do they ever mention any negative effects smoking has on smokers' health, particularly young smokers' health: No mention of cancer, emphysema, bronchitis, wrinkles, dry skin, cough, etc, etc, etc. No mention of cigarette smoke containing Zyklon B and other goodies. Only the mention of them working on preventing kids from smoking (thus, offering the kids a challenge). Does it work? You bet! According to recent US Government statistics, 3,000 (three thousand) Americans under the age of 18 start smoking EVERY SINGLE DAY!
That is 3,000 new life-time customers for cigarette companies every day in the US alone. As to which of the cigarette companies gets to keep most of these customers for itself, here's another quote from Philip Morris' web site:
"Philip Morris U.S.A. is the nation's leading cigarette manufacturer."