Cigarette brands from the 1970s - USA
The best-selling cigarette brands in America in 1970 were:
- Winston (filter) - 12.8%
- Marlboro (filter) - 8.8%
- Pall Mall (king-size, plain) - 8.7%
- Salem (menthol filter) - 6.7%
- Kool (menthol filter) - 6.7%
- Camel (plain) - 5.5%
- Kent (filter) - 4.1%
- Viceroy (filter) - 3.3%
- Tareyton (filter) - 2.9%
- Lucky Strike (plain) - 2.9%
Source: How the brands ranked by Maxwell International Estimates, published June 1972. I have combined hard and soft pack totals, but kept other variants such as menthol, light, 100 as separate brands.
Marlboro overtook Winston as America's best-selling cigarette around 1974. Winston was getting a reputation as an old man's brand. The trend for charcoal filters died out in the 1970s, though menthol cigarettes remained popular.
New brands were all about which cigarette had the lowest tar rating. In the 1970s, three of the big tobacco companies launched new low-tar brands. R J Reynolds launched Vantage in 1970; Philip Morris launched Merrit in 1976 and Lorillard launched Kent Golden Lights in 1977. Lorillard changed Kent Golden Lights to just Golden Lights in 1979.
- Vantage (R J Reynolds) - 1970
- Merit (Philip Morris) - 1976
- (Kent) Golden Lights (Lorillard) - 1977
There were also low-tar versions of the two best-selling brands, Winston and Marlboro.
Tobacco advertising focussed on telling customers how little tar there was in their brand. Golden Lights' adverts showed other brands having a higher tar content.
The traditional unfiltered brands continued to decline. Only two remained in the top ten, Pall Mall and Camel. These were the two best-selling cigarettes in 1960.
The best-selling cigarette brands in America in 1979 were:
- Marlboro (filter) - 11.7%
- Winston (filter)- 7.6%
- Kool (menthol filter) - 5.9%
- Pall Mall (king-size, plain) - 4.2%
- Salem (menthol filter, low-tar) - 3.1%
- Camel (plain) - 2.4%
- Marlboro 100 (filter) - 2.3%
- Winston 100 (filter) - 2.3%
- Winston Lights (filter) - 2.2%
- Salem Lights (menthol filter) - 2.2%
- Vantage (filter, low-tar) - 2.0%
- Merit (filter, low-tar) - 1.9%
- Salem 100 (menthol filter) - 1.9%
Source: How the brands ranked by Maxwell International Estimates, published July 1982. I have combined hard and soft pack totals, but kept other variants such as menthol, light, 100 as separate brands.
Cigarettes for women
Marlboro projected a masculine image. Winston's adverts targeted both men and women in the 1970s and the low tar brands were unisex.
There were some brands designed specifically for women. Philip Morris' Virgina Slims were launched in 1968. In 1971 Ligett & Myers introduced Eve. It was a direct competitor to Virgina Slims. The packaging had an early seventies' floral theme. Ligett & Myers changed the packaging to keep up with fashion.
Eve was not as successful as Virginia Slims. Neither brand achieved any great market share.
R J Reynolds launched More nationally 1975. It was a 120mm filter cigarette sold in plain and menthol flavors. More was originally promoted as unisex. R J Reynolds promoted more towards female customers in the 1980s.
Read more:
Cigarette smoking in the 1950s - USA
Cigarette brands in the 1960s - USA
Cigarette smoking in the 1970s - UK
By Steven Braggs, September 2023
