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Lucky Strike

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For other uses, see Lucky Strike (disambiguation).
packet of Lucky Strike cigarettes

Lucky Strike is a famous brand of American cigarettes, often referred to as "The Lucky Way to Die".

History

The brand was first introduced by R.A. Patterson of Richmond, Virginia, in 1871 as cut-plug chewing tobacco and later a cigarette. In 1905, the company was acquired by the American Tobacco Company (ATC), and Lucky Strike would later prove to be its answer to R. J. Reynolds' Camel.

In 1917, the brand started using the slogan "It's Toasted" to inform consumers about the manufacturing method in which the tobacco is toasted rather than sun-dried, a process touted as making the cigarette's taste more desirable. The message "L.S.M.F.T." ("Lucky Strike means fine tobacco") was introduced on the package in 1955.

Lucky Strike's association with radio music programs began during the 1920s on NBC. By 1928, the bandleader and vaudeville producer B. A. Rolfe was performing on radio and recording as "B.A. Rolfe and his Lucky Strike Orchestra" for Edison Records. In 1935, ATC began to sponsor Your Hit Parade, featuring North Carolina tobacco auctioneer Lee Aubrey "Speed" Riggs (later, another tobacco auctioneer from Lexington, Kentucky, F.E. Boone, was added). The weekly radio show's countdown catapulted the brand's success, remaining popular for 25 years. The shows capitalized on the tobacco auction theme and each ended with the signature phrase "Sold, American." The company's advertising campaigns generally featured a theme that stressed the quality of the tobacco purchased at auction for use in making Lucky Strike cigarettes and claimed that the higher quality tobacco resulted in a cigarette with better flavor. American engaged in a series of advertisements using Hollywood actors as endorsers of Lucky Strike, including testimonials from Douglas Fairbanks concerning the cigarette's flavor.[1]

British Lucky Strike packet with cigarette alongside and government health warning.

The brand's signature dark green pack was changed to white in 1942. In a famous advertising campaign that used the slogan "Lucky Strike Green has gone to war", the company claimed the change was made because the copper used in the green color was needed for World War II. American Tobacco actually used chromium to produce the green ink, and copper to produce the gold-colored trim. A limited supply of each was available, and substitute materials made the package look drab. However, the truth of the matter was that the white package was introduced to modernize the label and to increase the appeal of the package among female smokers; market studies showed that the green package was not found attractive to women, who had become an important consumer of tobacco products. The war effort became a convenient way to make the product more marketable while appearing patriotic at the same time.[2]

In 1978 and 1994, export rights and U.S. rights were purchased by Brown & Williamson. In the 1960s, filtered styles were launched in addition to a mentholated version called "Lucky Strike Green". This time "Green" was referring to menthol and not to the overall package color. In late 2006, both the Full Flavored and Light filtered varieties of Lucky Strike cigarettes were discontinued in North America. However, Lucky Strike will continue to have marketing and distribution support in territories controlled by British American Tobacco as a global drive brand. In addition, R. J. Reynolds continues to market the original, non-filter Lucky Strikes in the United States. Lucky Strikes currently have a small base of smokers.[3][4]

In 2007, a new packaging of Lucky Strikes was released, with a two-way opening which split seven cigarettes from the rest. In the same year, the company used the world's smallest man, He Pingping, in their ad campaigns.

In 2009, Lucky Strike Silver (the brand marketed as lighter) changed their UK packets from the quintessential red design to blue, albeit with a red teaser outer covering the packet.

Cultural references

File:Cowboybebop snapshot luckys.jpg
A Lucky Strike package appears in the opening credits of the Cowboy Bebop movie.

The cigarette brand is referenced in many ways in modern culture.

Comic Books
  • Chapter four of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga features an escaped prisoner demanding "Lucky Stripes" cigarettes, a clear parody of the real-life brand, from the employees of the fast food restaurant Burger World.
Film
Music
  • In the Tom Waits song "Kentucky Avenue", the first-person speaker references his or her "half pack of Lucky Strikes".
  • In the ZZ top song "I'm Bad; I'm Nationwide" the lyrics are sung: "Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac, I had a fine fox in the front and I had three more in the back. They were sportin' short dresses, wearin' spike-heeled shoes. They smokin' Lucky Strikes and wearin nylons too. Oh I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide".
  • In the Billy Joel song "Keeping the Faith", the singer references "a fresh pack of Luckies".
Politics
  • Former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms handed out Lucky Strike cigarettes, which were his personal brand of choice, in his Senate office to meeting attendees until it became "utterly unfashionable."[5]
Television
  • Lucky Strike is a major client of the fictional advertising agencies Sterling Cooper, and later Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, in the AMC series Mad Men. North American Tobacco initially makes up the vast majority (71%) of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce's account billings, and much of Season 4 focuses on the firm's attempts at client diversification to cut its dependence on the single account.
  • In the hit 1980's television show, Miami Vice, Don Johnson's character, Sonny Crockett, can be seen smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes for the first two seasons.
  • Lucky Strike was the sponsor for The Jack Benny Program, a radio and television show hosted by comedian Jack Benny, from 1944 to 1959.
  • Lucky Strike cigarettes are smoked by most of the men of easy company in the HBO miniseries Band Of Brothers
  • A billboard of the Lucky Strike brand is seen in the distance during the last few seconds of the season finale of HBO's Boardwalk Empire
Video games
  • In the MSX2 version of the video game, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, a fictionalized version of the brand, called Lucky Striker, is said to be the protagonist's favorite.
Sports
  • Lucky Strike was the primary sponsor of BAR Honda Formula 1 team.
  • Lucky Strike and Schaefer Beer were the primary sponsors of the Brooklyn Dodgers

See also

References

  1. ^ K L Lum, J R Polansky, R K Jackler and S A Glantz: "Signed, sealed and delivered: 'big tobacco' in Hollywood, 192–1951" doi:10.1136/tc.2008.025445 (September 25, 2008)
  2. ^ "Bull's Eye Logo" by Barbara Mikelson at snopes.com (February 7, 2007)
  3. ^ RJR brands [dead link]
  4. ^ Our international brands, British American Tobacco
  5. ^ Troxler, Howard. Jesse Helms' legacy is today's politicking. St. Petersburg Times. August 23, 2001.
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