C-store update: premium cigarette specials, Pall Mall/Kool.

February 14, 2009 - As the economy struggles to find its footing, consumers are becoming increasingly frugal. Tobacco smokers as they face this building fiscal pressure, even the most brand conscious are more likely to seek out budget-friendly alternatives, such as price-value cigarette products. To avoid this migration to cheaper brands companies like Philip Morris and R.J Reynolds are discounting their premium cigarettes.













Marlboro 72s also have a 2-pack special price. The idea behind 72s was to appeal to customers who, due to indoor smoking bans, want to dash outside for a quick nicotine hit but don't always finish a full-size cigarette. These cigarettes are shrunk down by about a half inch - 7.2cm long and shorter than the standard 8.5cm cigarette.













Back on September 10, 2008 we reported that R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) subsidiary of Reynolds American, Inc. would be scaling back marketing and promotional support for its Kool menthol brand cigarettes. As a result, RJR has moved Kool from a "growth" brand to a "support" With this change, R.J. Reynolds has two growth brands, Camel and Pall Mall. (Lower Trademark Value of Reynolds' Kool cigarette brand..) Judy Hong, a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. tobacco analyst: Newport, the top-selling U.S. menthol cigarette, increased its share of smokers after Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds American Inc. reduced marketing of Kool, a rival brand. Demand for Newport spurred an 8.2% increase in Lorillard shipments to 9.43 billion cigarettes. First RJR stopped the support of Salem and now it's Kool - both menthol cigarettes have a very interesting history.

Notice the images below - the R.J. Reynolds salesperson hides the shelf containing Kool cigarettes behind a sign advertising Pall Mall.







Previous c-store update..

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