Winston (cigarette)

Overview

Winston

type	Cigarette
currentowner	Japan Tobacco (Outside the U.S.) ITG Brands (U.S. only)
origin	United States
introduced	1954
previousowners	R. J. Reynolds
tagline	"Winston tastes good like a cigarette should" (1954–1972) "Spirit of the U.S.A." (Philippines, 1986–2006) "Enjoy True Quality" (Philippines, 2005–2008) "Stay True" (2011–present) "Innovators since 1954" (2025-present)
website	https://winstoncigarettes.com/
footnotes	Carcinogenicity: IARC group 1

Winston is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by ITG Brands, subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco in the United States and by Japan Tobacco outside the U.S.[1][2] The brand is named after the town where R. J. Reynolds started his business, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[2] As of 2017, Winston has the seventh-highest U.S. market share (2 percent) of all cigarette brands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maxwell Report.[3][4]

This market share has been falling since 2003, when it peaked at 3.92 percent,[5]

Controversy

Winston and targeting of African Americans

In the 1970s, Winston specifically targeted the Afro-American minority, similar to what Kool and Newport did during the time.

After World War II had ended, American tobacco companies started to explore new markets to maintain their prosperity. The growth in urban migration and the growing incomes of African Americans (called at the time the "emerging Negro market") gave the tobacco companies what was sometimes called an "export market at home". Additionally, a new kind of media started to appear after the war when several glossy monthly magazines including Negro Digest (1942, renamed Black World), Ebony (1945) and Negro Achievements (1947, renamed Sepia) began to be published. These relatively expensively produced magazines were far more attractive to the tobacco advertisers than the cheap "Negro" daily newspapers of the pre-war era, with glossy pages and a far wider national distribution. The magazines meant for a purely African-American audience also meant that advertisers could produce adverts aimed at and featuring African Americans away from the eyes of white consumers.[32]

Winston Man

Several male models, including Alan Landers and David Goerlitz, appeared as "Winston Man" in various advertisements.[33] Both Landers and Goerlitz became anti-smoking advocates after suffering health issues related to tobacco smoking.[34][35][36]

Winston and additive-free claims

In September 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned ITG Brands, the makers of Winston cigarettes, that labeling the product as "additive-free" violated federal law because the claim implied that the cigarettes were safer than other brands.[37]

The August warning letter to ITG marked the first time the FDA had used its authority under a 2009 tobacco-control law to take action against a company for making "additive-free" ("No Bull" ad campaign) claims on product packaging.[37] It was one of three warning letters that the agency shipped out in August 2015 to cigarette companies whose products were labeled "additive-free", "natural" or both.[37] Winston had been previously settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding similar claims in 1999, when tobacco advertising was under their purview.[12]

Winston (cigarette)

History

Sponsorship

NASCAR

Drag racing

Superbike World Championship

Football (soccer)

Sailing

Winston and The Flintstones

Controversy

Winston and targeting of African Americans

Winston Man

Winston and additive-free claims

Markets

Gallery

See also

External links

References