In 1913, Reynolds Tobacco introduced Camel cigarettes, containing a blend of several different types of tobacco – a blend that would come to be called “the American blend.” Supported by a unique introductory “teaser” advertising campaign, Camel became the first nationally popular cigarette in the United States.
Reynolds Tobacco established virtually every packaging standard in the U.S. cigarette industry. The 20-cigarette pack was introduced by Reynolds Tobacco in 1913, and in 1915 the company introduced the one-piece, 10-pack carton. In 1931, Reynolds Tobacco became the first company to package its cigarettes with a moisture-proof, sealed cellophane outerwrap to preserve freshness.
In 1918, Richard Joshua Reynolds – Reynolds Tobacco’s founder – died at the age of 68.
In 1925, Brown & Williamson purchased J.G. Flynt Tobacco Co. and its trademarks, including the popular Sir Walter Raleigh smoking tobacco. The following year, the company bought R.P. Richardson Company, which had just started to market manufactured cigarettes.
On March 24, 1927, in Winston-Salem, an announcement was made that Brown & Williamson was being acquired by London-based British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT) and reorganized as Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation. This enabled the company to increase its production capacity and expand its distribution beyond the Southeast.
To expand its manufacturing capacity, construction began on a new Brown & Williamson factory in Louisville, Ky., in 1927. The company’s Winston-Salem office personnel relocated to Louisville in January 1929, and in 1931, the company’s executive offices in New York also moved to Louisville.
Meanwhile, B&W’s first national brand, Raleigh, was launched as a premium cigarette in 1928.
In 1933, B&W launched KOOL cigarettes, the first U.S. menthol brand to gain nationwide distribution.
In 1936, B&W introduced Viceroy as the industry’s first cork-tipped filter product. In 1952, B&W began marketing Viceroy with a new “cellulose acetate” filter.
In 1954, Reynolds Tobacco introduced Winston – the first filter cigarette to achieve a major success in the marketplace.
Reynolds Tobacco introduced Salem – the first filter-tipped menthol cigarette, in 1956.
The Belair menthol brand was launched nationally by B&W in 1960.
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