Startin' a Tweeter Thing

Yee Haw Y'all.

It's been 4 years since my last post. Been busy helping do things like eliminate tobacco control programs in New Jersey and cripple programs in New York. Next big project will be to help out some good ole boys in their fight against the Revenue men. Heck we're just like the Dukes of Hazzard, only instead of the General Lee, we drive lung cancer rates. Yeeee Ha! Good times.

Anywho, figured I'd jump back into the world of Interwebs and start one of them Tweeter accounts everybody is so keen on.

Y'all can follow me at @BigTobaccoFan01

RJ Reynold Christmas Playboy Promotion

In the imortal words of Andy Williams, "it's the holiday season, so So hoopdidoo and dickoreedock." Fortunately the good folks at RJ Reynolds haven't forgotten with their brand spankin' new (emphasis on spankin') Holiday-time promotion.


Got this in the ol' inbox just in time for Christmas!

This year you can get that special someone a free subscription to Playboy. Camel is puttin' the ho back in holidays as part of the effort to get y'all hooked ...uh...enjoyin' new Camel Wides.

After all is there any better way to honor the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem or the birth of Jesus than kickin' back with a Camel Wide, thumbin' through a nudie mag and reading about how Ms. December likes sea turtles and long walks on the beach?

To me, that sums up the Holiday season. The heck with yer bell ringin' Santas, and yer family get togethers and the like.

Skin rags and smokes. That's a holday fer me! Yeeee haaaaawwww!

Clubbin' Camels: AG Suit Hits RJR for Rolling Stone spread

Poor ol' Joe Camel can't get a break.

Today, a total of eight busy-body attorneys general have filed lawsuits claimin' Reynold and Camel violated the Master's Settlement Agreement with a big ad campaign in Rollin' Stone magazine. It's all the usual suspects of California, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Maine and Washington.

Y'all can read about it here, here, and here as well as about a zillion other places on the web.

So what's all the hub bub about? Camel has already pulled the ads down but thanks to the health nuts over at the Campaign fer Tobacco Free Kids we can still check them out.

Personally I don't see a thing wrong with them, but then again I still can't abide that them government folks made Reynolds drop a perfectly good spokescamel like Joe.

But here's the argument the government types and the health nuts are makin'. It all revolved around that big Master's Settlement Agreement.

Fer them folks that don't remember that's the big lawsuit that allowed local governments to sue the tobacco companies so they could fund important projects like buyin' golf carts fer local courses and government subsidies of tobacco producers.

See the problem is this. Accordin' to that agreement Reynolds sent Joe Camel packin' and vowed never to use cartoons in their advertisin' again.

Well shoot, there may be a couple of cartoons in those ads but it ain't like they got Shrek and Donkey sharin' a pipe or somethin'. Perspective people. That's all I'm askin' fer.

People are losin' focus in this whole debate. Y'all need to ask what these ads are really about.

Music, my friends, music. Independent grassroots honest to goodness music.

Clearly Reynolds has shown they're a company with a big heart and - I'm sorry maybe I just ain't cynical enough - but to me the only thing Camel wants to do is support the arts.

I mean it's in Rollin' Stone. Ain't that one of them newspaper magazines fer music types? Why else in the world would a company like Reynolds possibly want to advertise in a magazine that caters to a musically inclined hip crowd between the ages of 18 and 24 with a modest disposable income?

It's all about the music.

And, I'll be frank, I'm not sure I like the idea of a bunch of city slicker attorneys general tryin' to deprive kids of music.

Did we learn nothin' from Mr. Holland's Opus!?!

America the time has come to put the breaks on these music hatin' health zealots. Like it or not, kids are gonna smoke.

And do you really want them kids to smoke while they're listenin' to corporate bubble gum pop?

Camel is providin' our youth with a choice. Givin' our kids the opportunity to smoke while listenin' to their favorite undiscovered new rock alternative.

And choice is what America is about my friend.

Kudos to Camel. Yer talkin' a beatin' but yer doin' right by our future customers...uh...I mean...kids.

Poll: Women Keep Smokin' To Keep Thin

This week is the annual American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout. So expect to hear a lot of gobbly guck about how bad smokin' is fer ya. This is like Christmas to them heath nuts.

Makes me sick.

I am so tired of hearin' about how terrible smokin' is fer ya. Nobody ever talks about the real benefits of tobacco and smokin'. It's all lung cancer this and emphysimia that. Blah blah blah. What about the economic benefits? What about the health benefits? What about all the great advances big tobacco companies (like my beloved Liardare Tobacco)?

In the words of legendary 1990's philosopher Susan Powder, "Stop the Insanity."

So, to counter act this so-called Smokeout, I'm gonna provide y'all with a little bit of truth. Truth you won't read elsewhere (except on the news sites that originally post the stories I link to).

Take this story fer example. It's from the Earth Times, which sounds like a very important name fer a newspaper. Accordin' to the story a new poll out shows women are afriad to quit smokin' because they might gain weight.

The study was done by a lil' phillie named Cindy Pomerleau who's some sort of book worm at the University of Michigan. Apparently she's done a whole bunch of research on the topic. Her work is great, but unfortunately it looks like the health nuts got to her too. All of her conclusions are of the "smokin' is bad fer ya" ilk.

Consider a couple of things Pomerleau found:

• 75 percent of women smokers were unwillin' to gain more than 2.25 kg if they quit smokin'


• Nearly 50 percent were unwillin' to gain any weight at all


• While there are many reasons why some women don't quit smokin', fear of weight-gain is high on the list


• many women began smokin' because they believed it would help 'em stay thin

Ya see folks nicotine is a natural appetite suppressant. That means smokin' makes it so y'all ain't hungry. Some folks also say smokin' burns 200 calories per day. Of course much of the same thing could be said about heroin but never mind that.

So at the end of the day, y'all can jump on yer treadmills or yer stair masters or - if yer smart like me - y'all can just light up six or eight packs of unfiltered goodness. Same difference. Besides if yer smokin' six or eight packs a day, then a treadmill or StairMaster is probably the last place in the world y'all want to be.

Now I think this is really an opportunity that we're missin' here. Tobacco should begin marketin' itself and cross brandin' with the diet industry. Just imagine it: Slim Fast Lights, Atkins 100's, South Beach Signature Blends. Trust me folks I am on to somethin' here and my friends in big tobacco ought to be payin' attention.

There's an obesity epidemic in this country and big tobacco can be part of the solution. Offer fat kids cigarettes. Yer a new mom tryin' to loose weight, here's a free pack of Lucky's. There's lots of stuff like that we could do.

Why are we, as an industry, cedin' the heath argument to health groups? Just cause the got doctors and research and credentials and science and common sense and such don't mean they need to win that part of the debate.

Besides, you know what we got that they ain't got? A big pile of money. And if we got to spend every last dime to convince people that smokin' can be fun and healthy then we sure ought to!

iPhone offered as prize by Cancer Society in YouTube Contest

Well don't this just beat all.

Hot off the heels of last month's encouragin' article about YouTube bein' a safe haven fer tobacco companies lookin' to get the word out, we get this from the mamby pambies at the American Cancer Society and their Great American Smokeout video contest.



Personally I find it a might disgraceful that them American Cancer folks are buttin' in on the party over at YouTube. It's been said that "www" means "wild wild west" that means we got us a a safe place to spread the word without hassles like this from health nuts. Oh and there weren't no iPhones nor Cancer Societies nor Smokeyouts in the wild wild west. So what the heck is they doin' on my YouTubey.

And the fact they're usin' an iPhone as first prize stinks three ways to Sunday as well. I guess the deal is, they want ya'll to post a short video - under a minute long - tellin' folks why they shouldn't smoke. In the words of a slack jawed Gen-Xer, whatever. They got all their rules and such posted here at their new antismokin' site.

Sounds like an easy way to get one of them iPhones or an iPod but I won't be enterin'. I ain't sellin' out. My integrity and my retirement package from Liardare are worth 10 times one of them iPhones.

So y'all can enter, an win yer iPhone or yer iPods but I'm stickin' to my principles. Stick that in yer pipe and...well....do whatever you non-smokin' types do with pipes.

Pro Smoking ads on YouTube

Check this out from the ABC of Australia.  Apparently tobacco companies are findin' a new home on YouTube.  Good fer them.

Pro-smoking 'ads' target youth market on YouTube

by youth affairs reporter Michael Turtle

Posted Fri Sep 28, 2007 6:48am AEST

Over the years, governments have slowly restricted the ways that cigarettes can be marketed - so perhaps it's not surprising that new technologies are being brought into the fray.

Although the tobacco companies deny it, one leading anti-smoking academic accuses them of using websites like YouTube to reach a younger client base.

'Smoking equals fun' reads the title of one video.

Another one is called 'Nice day for a girl to have a smoke'.

A simple search on YouTube brings up dozens of items, apparently glamorising cigarettes.

"Here's a cigarette and a lighter which is all we need to perform the trick and see who's gonna win the bet," one video says.

Professor Simon Chapman from Sydney University's School of Public Health says tobacco companies are turning to the web to attract young people.

He says the videos and the online forums do not generally look like ads, but they do promote the idea of smoking.

"People standing around talking about how wonderful it is to smoke, how anti-smoking laws should be disobeyed," he said.

"A lot of soft porn-style messages, the scantily clad women smoking cigarettes and showing how you should hold a cigarette, that sort of thing."

Figures show that smoking amongst young people is at its lowest level since surveys started, at just under 20 per cent of 17-year-olds.

But Professor Chapman is worried that the good work of anti-smoking campaigns could be undone by ambush marketing online.

"You can see how many of these have been watched because they have web counters on them," he said.

"You can see the number of downloads and you can see the number of kids responding to them and saying yeah, wow, great cool, you know go for it, I love smoking, this sort of thing.

"If I were in the tobacco industry I'd be working overtime to make sure those clips are out there in a large variety of ways, and it looks like they're doing that."

The tobacco industry says it is very hard to stop people uploading videos or talking about topics on the internet.

Nerida White from cigarette company Philip Morris says the online videos have nothing to do with the firm's marketing tactics.

"We don't use the web to advertise or promote our products or smoking at all," she said.

"And we don't think people should be able to advertise or promote tobacco on the internet."

Regardless of who is creating the content, there are calls for it to be regulated.

Quit Victoria spokeswoman Suzie Stillman wants the Federal Government to tighten restrictions, to try to bring the internet into line with other forms of media.

"The Commonwealth could look at ways in which internet content hosts and internet service providers could be required to take down or block access to certain material if it contravenes tobacco advertising legislation," she said.

Govt concerned

Federal Communications Minister Helen Coonan says she is worried by the reports.

She has announced that the Government will look into the issue, to see if the internet is already covered by current legislation, or if it needs to be updated.

"We may have to actually broaden the definition of publication," she said.

"At the moment it's prohibited if it's in a document, if it appears in a film or a radio program or it's put in a public place. There's some argument about whether it's specific to the internet."

But the internet can also be used for positive messages.

Ms Stillman points out that there are also a number of anti-smoking messages on the web.

"We can promote anti-smoking information. We can promote non-smoking images in the same way as I suppose they're being promoted on the other side," she said.

In fact, one ad that shows mouth cancer as a consequence of smoking has already been viewed more than 150,000 times online.

The anti-smoking lobby has described the new online landscape as the battleground for the lungs of our youth.

And if it's a war that's beginning, the Quit campaign is prepared to fight back.

 

Stupid Tragic Ironies

Stumbled across this over at YouTube. Remember when we had the post Danny Thomas a couple months back. Well here's another smarty paints video on legendary action star Steve McQueen.

Trade Secrets: Don't watch this

Caught this on the boob tube the other night and now its up on the Internet. Just disgraceful the amount of stuff that's on line nowadays.

The information in this video is about what's in a cigarette. It's trade secrets folks and ya shouldn't be watchin' it. I'm postin' it here just to highlight how out of control health types are by exposin' the time held traditions of my industry.

So don't watch it.

And if ya do, lemme tell y'all somethin' before ya get worked up. This IS NOT another good example of why the FDA needs to regulate cigarette makers. We use only the cleanest brooms when we sweep tobacco dust off the floor and reconstitute it into new fresh smooth Liardare Carolina 100's.

It's all very safe and wholesome, take my word fer it.





As a former tobacco executive, you might think I'd feel an affinity to a fellow former leader in big tobacco. Fer the most part that's true but not when it comes to turncoat Jeffery Wigand. Y'all can read more about him here.

Couple years back Wigand became a famous whistle blower by exposin' trade secrets like the ones in that terrible video above. That's like givin' up the Masons secret handshake. Omerta my friend. Ya just don't do stuff like that.

Anywho, his story got made into a movie called the Insider. I didn't see it. What is that gonna tell me that I don't already know?

So don't watch the video and remember we can police ourselves just fine. We don't need no FDA pointy headed jerks tellin' us our business. Trust us, we don't!

I Hate Disney and the answer to smokin' in the youth market

Lemme tell y'all somethin'.

Dinsey ain't nothin' but a bunch of yellow-bellied cowards. How dare they smite the artistic creativity of creative types by not allowin' smokin' in their kiddie cartoons!?! This is just a complete outrage. And lemme tell y'all somethin' else, I ain't takin' this lyin' down.

In case y'all hadn't heard, the House of Mouse made the big announcement that smokin' will be outlawed in all their family type features. Plus, as if that ain't enough, smokin' will be discouraged in all their films from the Touchstone and Miramax brands. Still worse, they'll be featurin' anti-smokin' PSAs on all movies and DVDs where the characters light up. Ya can read the full article here.

The words beyond the pale seem to fit nicely.

Worth notin' that about 10 years ago Disney digitally removed smokin' from some of their old cartoons includin' the Pecos Bill segment in Melody Time. Ya'll can see the before and after photos to the left.

I stole that image off a really good article on the cartoon at 2719 Hyperion. Y'all can view the original post here.

Disney may think they're doin' the right thing but this is actually the complete wrong approach if they want to discourage the youth market...I mean....kids (sorry, old habits die hard) from lightin' up. And, in all sincerity the smokin' version of Pecos Bill is much more appropriate fer today's kids fer two reasons.

First, Pecos Bill is a cowboy. Look at a calendar people, its 2007! What kid wants to be a cowboy today? Maybe some looser kids in Oklahoma or somethin', but cowboys have no Ipods, no Nintendo WII, no Facebook, no MySpace, they work fer a livin' doin' manual labor all day long, and they spend lots of time outdoors.

Name two kids who'd want to be like that guy. I betcha can't.

So if smokin' is sooooo evil, then - by yer logic - ain't havin' a looser like Pecos Bill, puffin' away, a good thing? I mean, kids don't want to be Pecos Bill and Pecos Bill smokes. Logic people, if P then Q.

My second reason is part of a much larger argument.

Hey people, kids smoke. Kids have always smoked, kids are always gonna smoke. The more we try to prevent kids from smokin', the more we try to take it out of the social mainstream, the more attractive we actually make smokin' fer kids. Think about that one health types.

If ya truly want to make smokin' not cool, or hip, or groovy, or whatever they say nowadays, here's the one thing that sure to work.

Teach it in the schools.

I mean it. Its a radical idea but very progressive if y'all think about it. Mandate that kids must spend no less than 45 minutes a day smokin'. Ya can talk about the history of tobacco in the USA so there's social studies, economics and marketin' lessons. There's the chemistry curriculum in teachin' kids all the natural goodness that goes into makin' a smooth tastin' unfiltered product. Ya can replace gym, savin' school districts money(because after smokin' fer 45 minutes the kids won't be able to run anyway). Also, smokin' helps ya keep the weight off, so yer combatin' childhood obesity and reducin' kids risk of many chonic diseases.

This plan would teach kids valuable lessons and improve their long term health.

And fer ya anti-smokin' types, if ya tell kids they have to do somethin' they'll develop a negative attitude toward it right? Well, there y'all go. After being told to smoke in the schools fer say 12 years or so, I'm sure a certain portion of the market...uh....kids will opt not to continue smokin'. This just seems like the more natural way to do things.

Heck, I'm sure my ol' buddies at Liardare would be willin' to make special brands just fer the kiddies like tooty fruity or chocolate or...oh wait that's been done...we'll we'd figure somethin' out fer y'all.

Anyway, that's the best answer I've heard and trust me, after workin' at a tobacco company all those years we spent a lot of time talkin' about kids.

Tobacco Taxes Kill People: Bipartisan Agreement in Congress Calls for More Gang Activity, Increased Attacks on Truckers

In a stunnin' development a bipartisan (that means both Republicans and Democrats) bunch of kooks in Washington, called fer more crime, specifically gang activity and increased attacks on truckers throughout the United States!!!


When will this madness end!?! Ya see, accordin' to the New York Times, theses government lunatics are callin' fer higher tobacco taxes. And I've been doin' some research on tobacco taxes at RJ Reynold's new corporately organized, grassroots movement website called NoCigTax.

Lemme tell ya somethin' boys and girls if you ain't been to nocigtax.com yer missin' some important knowledge. This grassroots effort of well paid volunteers, has put together pack and a half of info on why cigarette taxes are the worst thing since Ebola.

My favorite part is this page which shows y'all in simple terms the top 10 reasons why it's clear tobacco taxes are an idea spawned in hell. Numbers 3 and 8 on the top 10 deal with how cigarette taxes increase crime at home.

Accordin' to the irrefutable suppositions of Reynolds American's marketin' department, there will be more cigarette truck hijackins if tobacco taxes go up. No indication of how much they'll go up, fer example the ratio of holdups per ten cent increase. But, over the years, tobacco company have shown their honesty and I think we can all just take 'em at their word.

Number 8 on the list is basically the same as number 3 - hey cut 'em some slack, it ain't easy comin' up with 10 whole reasons. That one basically says the higher the tobacco taxes ya got the more organized crime ya got.

Taxes make cigarettes more valuable and criminals will want to sell more of them, earnin' them more money. Earnin' more money makes it easier fer them to kill people and steal your car.

Well it doesn't actually say that last part but ya'll can fill in the blanks the same as I can. And again, there's no actual stats listed linkin' crime increases to tobacco taxes but really, who ever heard of a dishonest tobacco company? Joe Camel don't lie.

Ya see people, cigarettes don't kill people. Tobacco taxes do. Why on earth would the government would come out in favor of truck robberies, the mafia, along with the Bloods and the Crypts is beyond me. Haven't these folks seen Goodfellas, or Colors, or Breakin' 2 the Electronic Boogaloo? Crime is bad and it ain't the Government's job to be promotin' it through tobacco taxes. Where's Homeland Security when ya'll need 'em?

One final note. Fortunately, I ain't the only one who musta read Reynolds top 10 list. President Bush has seen the light and accorin' to today's Times will veto the tobacco tax bill. Well thank goodness fer small miracles. Hang tough George, hang tough. And take comfort in knowin' the bigtobaccoblog is 100% behin' ya'll.

Golden Oldie: Make Room Fer The American Tobacco Company

Back in the good old days mom, dad and the youngins could gather round the tele with their frozen TV dinners and settle in fer an evenin' of clean family fun. Clean family fun made possible by the generosity of the good folks at the American Tobacco Company and the like.

That was the old openin' fer Make Room Fer Daddy, a highly popular family comedy from the early days of television...when "marketin' to children" was just an innocent concept on one of our internal memos...not the action line of one of them anti-smokin' PSAs. Ah...a simpler age...and I really miss it.

People seem to like these old cigarette ads. I know I do. They're a great nostalgic stroll down memory lane with a long missed old buddy. A buddy who's been forced from the marketplace by a bunch of pinko commie health nuts.

Of course Danny Thomas went on to be the founder of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. I get nervous whenever somebody get involved with big health but I guess that's okay. Smoked cigars which ain't as good as cigarettes (because we don't make cigars at Liardare, only smooth rich Carolina leaf 100s). Got a picture of him with a stogie here so that's somethin' in his favor. Passed away from a heart attack in 1991.

In a quirky twist of misery, Danny's wife in this clip, Jean Hagen. You might also remember her as the ditsy movie star in Singin' in the Rain. She passed away from throat cancer in 1977.

Of course this where the health goofs will tell ya' that both throat cancer and heart attacks are associated with smokin'. Stupid health jerks with their tragic ironies.

A Musical Tribute to Flavored Cigarettes

Well if this don't beat all.

When I stumbled across this I thought it would be more fun with singin' cigarettes like in them old Lucky Strike ads. But no, some darned health nut is makin' the case that flavored cigarettes...uh...I mean...Signature Blends ain't good fer kids.

What a bunch of hooey! I mean what kid would ever find a chocolate, mint or rooty tooty fruity apple flavored cigarette appealin'?



Couple of notes on this here video. I'll betcha when they quote that tobacco memo at the beginin' they're talkin' about this one from the Legacy Foundation's Tobacco Archives.

When they say that Reynolds has been developin' flavored cigarettes since the 70's they probably mean this memo as an example.

Oh and that bit about the 6% of smokers tryin' flavored cigs and kids cottonin' to 'em more is most likely from this Roswell Park Cancer Institute study.

Then y'all got that bit about the flavors bein' picked because they appeal to kids. Utter nonsense, so don't read this memo backin' up that claim.

The video closes with Camel's temporary removal of their Exotics line from last year. We've covered the AG deal on flavored cigarettes before and the introduction of Signature Blends a bunch here at the Big Tobacco Blog. The full list of stuff is on the flavored cigarettes label.

Again, this whole hub bub is a shame. I still don't rightly understand why nobody is willin' to take Reynolds and Camel at their word. What have they ever done to make people think they're interested in marketin' to kids?

Candy Flavored Smokes: Saved by the Bell

Yee haw everybody!

Well chalk one up fer the good 'ol boys. We finally won one in New York. And believe you me, that state is so kooky and "health conscience" when it comes to tobacco that this is no small feat.


Thanks to the stallin' efforts of the New York State Senate a proposed ban on flavored failed to pass this year in the Empire State. Now, the good folks at Camel can continue to sell rooty tooty fruity apple infused and the rest without fear of government intervention.

Well, at least as long as nothin' changes on that FDA bill the Feds are talkin' about. But I shudder to think about that one (bluuch...shudder).

But in the meantime, breathe easy smokers of Camel Signature Blends...well as easy as you can. And take stock in the fact that the New York State Senate still values RJ Reynolds' right to develop, manufacture, and market candy and fruit flavored smokes that may or may not (but probably don't) appeal to kids.

If y'all like to show yer appreciation to the New York State Senate you can email their head muckety muck here or call him at the number below.

Senator Joseph L. Bruno
President and Majority Leader43rd Senate District
(518) 455-3191

Hot Off the Inbox: Camel Mobilizes "Confidentially"

Camel Cigarettes are mobilizin' smokers across these United States.

Take a look at this "Camel Confidential" email alert that just hit the inbox of a friend of the Big Tobacco Blog. Apparently some movement is afoot to add a 61 cent tax per pack to all cigarettes.

Of course this is completely unacceptable. We in the tobacco industry are very concerned about the unfair taxation of smokers. Oh and it has absolutely nothing to do with all the studies that show people quit smoking when cigarette taxes go up.

_________________________________________________
SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.
_________________________________________________

Dear Rufus:

Right now, there is an effort underway by some politicians in Washington, D.C., to increase the federal excise tax on cigarettes by up to 61 cents per pack.

That would be a 156% tax increase!

Added to the current excise tax rate of 39 cents per pack, the federal excise tax on cigarettes could soar to $1.00 per pack, or $10.00 per carton!

It’s time to take action and tell U.S. Senators and Representatives that enough is enough!

Click here to contact your U.S. Senator and Representative and tell them you are against any attempt to increase the federal excise tax on tobacco products. Urge them to vote against any tax increase.

Call toll-free 1-877-857-8074 to be connected to your elected official. This is a free call.
For more information on this important issue, please visit http://www.nocigtax.com/.

Between the federal tax, state and local taxes, and settlement payments, the government raked in almost $33 BILLION in 2006 – just from smokers. More than $7 billion of that went to the federal government alone.

But is that enough for them? No! Some politicians in Washington want to raise the tax significantly higher, placing an even greater economic burden on already over-taxed adult smokers.

Cigarette excise taxes are regressive, unfairly singling out lower-income adult smokers to pay even more. This is an unfair form of “tax profiling.”

Take action today and keep the politicians in Washington out of your wallet!

This e-mail is being sent to you since you indicated that you are a legal age tobacco consumer and that you wanted to receive e-mails announcing special offers and news from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's tobacco brands. It is intended for the addressee only and should not be forwarded.

P. S. We hope you enjoyed receiving this message. Click here if you do not want to receive future e-mails from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (this will not affect offers sent to you from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company through regular U.S. mail.)To change your e-mail address, please visit email.rjrt.com. If you want to contact us, please go to the brand website and send an e-mail or call 1-877-265-1913. You can write us at: Camel Consumer Relations, P.O. Box 2959, Winston-Salem, NC 27102-2959. FILTERS HARD PACK 16 mg. "tar", 1.3 mg. nicotine av. per cigarette by FTC method. Actual amount may vary depending on how you smoke. For T&N info, visit www.rjrttarnic.com.

Silly Ol' Camel: Cigs Are Fer Docs!

Y'all know somethin'.

It just makes me ill to see how the good folks at Camel are havin' their name dragged through the mud right know about them flavored cigarettes ....uh... I mean.... Signature Blends. Accusations are a flyin', states are talkin' about bannin' certain types of smokes and the Feds in Washington might start regulatin' us.

Just terrible and so completely unnecessary.

Fer example, Camel is takin' a beatin' right now, but they have a long history of bein' completely honest with the public about their products and their marketin'. I mean just take a look at this little gem from the good ol' days, before all the doctors in the world got so uppity about stuff like health.

How can anyone look at that ad and say the Feds ought to be buttin' in. I don't get it!?!

Flavored Cigs: Goin'...goin'...

The country's first ever ban on flavored cigarettes includin' Camel Signature Blends is on the verge of bein' passed in - where else - New York State.

The story is makin' the rounds and appears on the Capital Confidential Blog which is run by one of them newspaper fellers up there. Word is a ban could come next week.

For shame New York! Now how are the 6% of regular smokers who've tried flavored cigarettes going to get their fix of rooty tooty fruity apple smokes!?! It just ain't fair.

I mean, don't I, as a maker of fine tobacco products, have a constitutional right to make money?

It ain't Camel's fault that kids like fruit.

You know who's really to blame, is them fellers who make Juicy Juice and the like. They're the ones fixin' it so kids like fruit flavors. If they made that juice out of thyme or wheat germ instead of apples and bananas then nobody would be givin' the good ol' boys at Reynolds a hard time.

Them busy body New Yorkers ought to go pick on big-juice, they're the real culprit here. Camel is the victim. All any tobacco company wants to do is create a wholesome product, that is not addictive, not filled with toxic chemicals and not linked to cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, asthma, emphysema or any other disease, syndrome or condition. We do what we do out of love and a desire to satisfy our customers, not out of a blind desire for billions and billions of dollars in profits. Hopefully that clears things up.

Remember Philip Morris motto: "You almost can't say altruistic without Altria."

RJR Research: Flavored Cigs Look like Somethin' Younger Kids Would Like

Oh boy. Another RJ Reynolds memo has surfaced on flavored cigarettes, and this one ain't pretty either.
The latest is from a 1980's market research study on infusin' tastes like chocolate and lemon into cigarettes. Reynolds tested the idea of flavors out on both male and female smokers and it went over like somethin' that came out the south side of Joe Camel.

This is from page 36 of an 111 page consumer research study on flavored cigarettes. You can read the full thing here.

Accordin' to research done on RJR's existin' smokers, they weren't interested in flavored cigarettes and noted that the concept reminded them of somethin' non-smokers would find impressive. Worst of all Reynold's internal research showed current smokers felt flavored cigarettes would appeal more to younger kids rather than someone who's been smokin' fer awhile. Well that's just crazy talk!

Of course now some know-it-all health type will compare this to what RJR's Tommy Payne said a couple of weeks ago about the long-standin' controversies regardin' the manufacturin', marketin' and use of tobacco products needin' to be resolved.

Then the health nuts will likely point out the memo from the 70's we had last week and connect the dots to this newly discovered market research they did in the 80's.

And then I betcha those do gooders will say "long standin' controversy over, Reynolds internal paperwork from the 70's and the 80's show they know full well Camel Signature Blends are fer kids."

Makes me sick how people can be so unfair. Why do bad things have to happen to good Camels?

Silly Ol' Camel Cigarettes Are Fer Kids

So this whole flavored cigarette thing just don't seem like it's goin' away any time soon. Apparently states like New York (of course) are workin' on passin' laws to ban 'em fer good. And there's all sorts of talk about FDA regulation.

Guess some folks just didn't take kindly to Camel re-introducin' flavor...uh...blended cigarettes so soon after pullin' 'em off the shelves. Oh well. Win some loose some.

Reynolds defense is that they ain't callin' 'em by their fruity names so it don't violate any agreements. In a press release smokesperson Tommy Payne went on to say "we believe the long-standin' controversies regardin' the manufacturin', marketin' and use of tobacco products need to be resolved.”

Amen brother.

Of course then some smarty-paints, health-nut type might post this little beauty in response. It's an internal document from Reynolds dated May 9, 1974 which appears to resolve some of them long-standin' controversies regardin' the manufacturin' and marketin' of flavored cigarettes.


Here Reynolds is tryin' to come up with new cigarette ideas and - if y'all look at section number three it appears to show the birth of Frost, Infused, Mellow and Robust. In case y'all have trouble makin' it out the third idea says:

"Another segment of the total market is the new smoker market (youth market). Make a cigarette which is obviously youth oriented. This could involve cigarette name, blend, flavor and marketing technique. The concept would be similar to that employed by Boone Farm Wines; for example a flavor which would be candy-like but give the satisfaction of a cigarette."

Ouch.

Well hopefully none of those health folks will find it and post in on-line. With some sort of reminder about what the new flavor...uh....signature blends are.

Just imagine readin' that memo followed by a description of Camel Robust as “similar to notes found on cocoa and espresso”; Camel Mellow as “accented with toasted honey”; Camel Frost as “Fine Asian Mint… while the creamy finish delivers a smooth, buttery aftertaste”; and Camel Infused as offering “notes of Citrus” and “a sweet apple-like flavor.”

That would be bad.

Grab the kids. It's another classic singalong from Kent

We found another great Kent ad floatin' around the internet.

If y'all have kids might I suggest teachin' 'em this song as a fun singalong fer a rainy day.

Oh wait a second. I'm sorry. What am I thinkin'? There's no way any ads from big tobacco would appeal to kids. Especially not this one with the cute catchy lyrics and cartoons.

Lost my head fer a second there. Enjoy!

Altria-istic and Moralistic

Came across this golden oldie from the legendary head of R&D at Philip Morris (now Altria fer those of y'all keepin' score at home), Dr. Helmut Wakeham.



We need more fellers like this who ain't afraid to tell it like it is.

Here Wakeham says that if cigarettes were harmful Philip Morris would quit the business of sellin' cigarettes (a silly thing to promise but it placates them health types I suppose).

Also says Phillip Morris is a moralistic company (although I supposed they'd now be an Altria-istic company fer those of y'all keepin' score at home). Dr. Wakeham also explains there is a great deal of doubt on whether cigarettes are harmful.

I know I fer one doubt that there can be any harm at all in lightin' up a smooth, rich, Liardare Carolina 100. And if that's good enough fer me, should be good enough fer y'all too.