Tobacco Documents Online

A committee recommends commercialization of "Harley Davidson" brand cigarettes before all toxicity studies are completed.

"Not for public use" study done of taxes paid and benefits consumed by smokers and nonsmokers.

Presentation about targeting a cigarette brand called "Harley Davidson" to low-income young blue collar males who have have a high school education or less, are outer-directed belongers and "wannabees," and who seek out a macho image. The brand would also be targeted women who have "men's interest."

This 6-page marketing document from Lorillard (1971) proposes marketing strategies to increase sales of Newport cigarettes to lower income African Americans. One strategy was to create a Black advertising character called "Bold Soul":

"...complete with dashiki and natural, the Bold Soul is intended to create a relevancy that associates Newport with modern Black pride and individuality. The Bold Soul was also used to project an image of masculinity. Headline, short copy and language...tended to concentrate of the blue collar aspect, as well as the lower-middle to lower income levels accounting for 83% of the Black population."

The ad campaigns were intended to create an "implied promise" of "performance" by the cigarette:

" 'Kent smokes, and that's where it's at' is translated by the Black community as the ultimate in performance, which is the implied promise."