Cigarette brands

Marlboro, which was an unknown cigarette brand in 1955, has steadily increased its sales during the past forty years. Already in December 1975, Marlboro was entitled as the "top selling brand in the United States and the all-time best-seller in the world"(PM History 20). In 1989, Marlboro became " America 's best seller by far, with one fourth of all cigarette sales". At that time Philip Morris held 43% of the domestic market and made $4.6 billion from tobacco sales.

Even today, Marlboro remains "the world's most profitable brand of non-durable consumer good, surpassing even Coca-Cola."(Economist 4/21/90 84). In a company that owns such popular brands as Kraft, General Foods, Oscar Mayer and Miller Brewing, Marlboro cigarette provide an astounding majority of Philip Morris, Inc. incomes.

The design of Marlboro package is the most recognizable one. The red and white geometric packaging of Marlboro is distinctive and the foremost displayed on retail counters across the country and abroad. The fresh, natural attitude portrayed in Marlboro cigarette advertisements appeals to everyone, smokers, nonsmokers, men, women, old and young, embodying the unique American paradise of the West, Marlboro Country.

Winston cigarettes are manufactured for or by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company[1]. They are named for Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the city where RJR was founded and headquartered.

The brand was introduced in 1954, and became the best-selling brand of cigarettes in the United States. It held the #1 spot from 1966 to 1972, thanks to the successful marketing slogan "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should." In the last national survey in 2001, Winston ranks sixth in market value. It is also known for their claim of being "additive free" although a secondary warning label on their advertisements states that "no additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette."

During the 1980s, Winston cigarettes became the most popular brand in Puerto Rico, probably because of their marketing "Winston y Puerto Rico: No hay nada mejor" ("Winston and Puerto Rico: There is nothing better"), as well as its cultural association with the "salsa sensual" or "salsa erotica" movement.

In 1999, Winston-Salem introduced a new cigarette to the Eastern European market, the Winston One. The cigarette got its name from having only one mg of tar, yet having a full mg of nicotine. Eastern European smokers were not satisfied with the new cigarette, sales began to drop, and the line was discontinued in 2001. Since then Winston One has been marketed as an ultra-light cigarette currently available on the European market. This product features a very low 0.1 mg of tar per cigarette. This is one of the lowest in the marketplace, especially in Eastern Europe.

Marlboro, along with many other Philip Morris brands conquered USA in 1902. This was the year when Phillip Morris, the London-based cigarette manufacturer, created a New York subsidiary in 1902 with the intention of promoting several of its cigarette brands on the American market. By 1924 they were advertising Marlboro as womens cigarette under the slogan "Mild as May".

The Marlboro brand was sold this way until World War II when the brand was temporarily removed from the market. At the end of the war only Camel, Lucky Strike, and Chesterfield cigarette brands survived and took a strong position on the cigarette market.

The Marlboro brand re-appeared on the cigarette market in 1955, but this time it was the new Marlboro with a filtered end. Philip Morris, as well as the other cigarette companies took consideration of several articles about lung cancer being caused by smoking, which were published in the 50s. Each cigarette company began to manufacture filtered cigarettes in order to maintain their high sales. By the way the Marlboro brand is named after Great Marlborough Street, the location of its original London factory.

Camel cigarettes were originally blended to have a milder taste in contrast to brands that were considered much harsher at the time of its introduction. In addition, they were advance promoted, prior to official release, by a careful advertising campaign that included "teasers" which merely stated that "the Camels are coming" (a play on the old Scottish folk song, "The Campbells Are Coming"). This marketing style was, in fact, a prototype for attempts to sway public opinion that coincided with the United States' entry into the First World War, and later the Second World War. Another promotion strategy was the use of a Circus camel, 'Old Joe', which was driven through town and used to distribute free cigarettes. Old Joe was used as the model for the camel on the package.

The brand's catch-phrase slogan, used for decades, was "I'd walk a mile for a Camel!"

The most famous historical style of Camel cigarettes is the soft pack of the regular, unfiltered variety. Camel regulars achieved the zenith of their popularity through personalities such as news broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, who smoked up to four packs of Camel regulars per day, in effect using a Camel cigarette as his trademark.

WARNING! Smoking is dangerous and addictive!