Kool (cigarette)

Kool
Product typeCigarette
OwnerImperial Tobacco
Produced byITG Brands
British American Tobacco
(outside of the U.S.)
CountryUnited States
Introduced1933; 91 years ago (1933)
MarketsSee Markets
Previous ownersBrown and Williamson
Websitekool.com

Kool (stylized as KOOL) is an American brand of menthol cigarette, currently owned and manufactured by ITG Brands LLC, a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco Company.[1] Kool cigarettes sold outside of the United States are manufactured by British American Tobacco.

History

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In 1931, Brown and Williamson launched "Penguin" as an unfiltered 70-millimeter "regular" menthol cigarette,[2] with a package featuring "a Penguin with its beak raised and its heavy wings raised in a sort of mid-flourish."[3] In 1933, the brand was renamed Kool, though it retained the as-yet unnamed penguin mascot.[2][4]

Kool enjoyed continued success through the 1950s, with a 1953 Roper survey showing that two percent of white Americans and five percent of African Americans preferred the Kool brand.[5]

Growing public concern about the health risks associated with smoking prompted Brown and Williamson responded to release filtered varieties of Kool: an 85-millimeter "king-sized" version in the 1960s, followed by a 100-millimeter or "long" version in the 1970s.[citation needed] The 1980s saw the introduction of Kool lights and a loss of market share to other menthol brands, such as Newport.[citation needed]

In 2003, Brown and Williamson purchased the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, making Kool a Reynolds brand.[6] The iconic green and white pack, virtually unchanged for some seventy years, was overhauled, and the original unfiltered Kool cigarette was discontinued. These changes did little to boost sales.[citation needed]

In 2015 a merger between Reynolds American and the Lorillard Tobacco Company brought the Kool brand into the Imperial Tobacco Company portfolio of properties.[7]

Marketing

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An old pack of Kool cigarettes

Kool cigarette advertising began with the character of "Willie" the penguin,[8][9] who was portrayed as several different professions, among which were a doctor, a soldier and a chef.[10][11] In the early 1950s, the company placed a number of decal signs at entrance doors reading "Come in... it's Kool inside", indicating that the space was air-conditioned.[12][13]

In the early 1960s, the image of the cartoon penguin was no longer used, and Kool instead began marketing their cigarettes by linking the taste of menthol to outdoor scenes portraying water or snow.[14] Elaine Devry and John Clarke (actor) featured in Kool's advertisement at this time, as the female smoker whose day was improved by a passer-by who changed her car's flat tire. This was decades before whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand exposed Brown and Williamson's deliberate lacing of their tobacco with harmful substances.

In 1971, Kool initiated an advertising campaign where consumers could mail order a Snark sailboat with the Kool logo on the sail—for $88 (later $99) along with one Kool carton flap—including delivery. The sailboats retailed at the time for $120. As one of Kool's highest scoring ads, the company received over 18,000 orders for "Sea Snarks" in 1971.[note 1]

During the 1970s and 1980s, Kool sponsored jazz festivals and many advertisements from the era featured a musician or an actor, playing a saxophone. Also, Kool was notoriously targeted to African-Americans, as were many menthol cigarettes.[17] In 1975, Kool held a sweepstakes with a Rolls-Royce Corniche as the prize.

At one time also Kool sponsored a hot-air balloon,[18] which went on tours.

Sport sponsorship

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Kool was the main sponsor of Team KOOL Green in the CART series from the 1997 season until the 2002 season. In 2002, after the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement passed, Kool cigarettes could not be displayed on the cars for the IRL's Indianapolis 500, and the logo was replaced with 7-Eleven.[19][20]

Markets

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Kool cigarettes are mainly sold in the United States, but also were or still are sold in Canada, Honduras, Antigua, Bahamas, Jamaica, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Japan and Australia.[21][22][23][24] The Estonian Patent Office denied permission for the Kool trademark to be used in Estonia because the name means "school" in the Estonian language.[citation needed]

Current varieties

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Kool is available in the following styles in the United States:

  • Green - Filter Kings & Super Longs (formerly Full Flavor)
  • Blue - Filter Kings & Super Longs (100s) (formerly Milds)

In 2023, ITG Brands introduced four new non-menthols to prepare for a possible flavored tobacco ban by the FDA and to expand their sales to states that already have a ban in place. The green and blue boxes look identical to the menthol version to appeal to smokers who are used to the brand. [25]

  • Green Non-Menthol - Filter Kings & Super Longs (100s)
  • Blue Non-Menthol - Filter Kings & Super Longs (100s)
  • Luxe Non-Menthol Bold - Filter Kings & 100s
  • Luxe Non-Menthol Smooth - Filter Kings & 100s

Previously, Kool XL, a wider cigarette, was available.

Notes

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  1. ^ Also in 1971, KOOL initiated a self-liquidator campaign whereby consumers were given the opportunity to purchase an 11-foot sailboat with carried Kool logo and usually sold for $120. Consumers could purchase a "Sea Snark" for $88 and one KOOL canon and flap. The purpose of the offer was to increase the effectiveness of the ad; it was one of KOOL's highest scoring ads and was used again in 1972. KOOL received over 18,000 orders for "Sea Sharks" in 1971. A POP test was conducted in 1971 comparing the "Sea Snark" floor display with a non-liquidator KOOL display. Stores using the ordinary display failed to increase sales enough to justify the $6.00 store payment. KOOL sales re "Sea Snark" display rose enough to more than cover the display payment and cost. KOOL's Sea Snark promotion was repeated in 1972, adding option payment through charge cards. 1975: The Sea Snark offer was repeated in a self-liquidator campaign for $139.[15] The Snark/Kool campaign won a national POPI award (given by the Point of Purchase Institute) as the most creative and inventive ad of 1971.[16] The Kool Snark promotion was repeated in 1972, adding option payment through charge cards—and again in 1975 for $139.[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Brands". Itgbrands.com. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b Gardiner, Phillip S. (February 2004). "The African Americanization of menthol cigarette use in the United States" (PDF). Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 6: S55–S65. doi:10.1080/14622200310001649478. PMID 14982709. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2020.
  3. ^ Staff writer (21 April 2006). "Willie and Millie". Scoop. Previews World. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023.
  4. ^ Jackler, RK; Ramamurthi, D; Willet, J; Chau, C; Muoneke, M; Zeng, A; Chang, E; Bahk, JR; Ramakrishnan, A (3 October 2022). "Advertising Created & Continues to Drive the Menthol Tobacco Market: Methods Used by the Industry to Target Youth, Women, & Black Americans" (PDF). SRITA Research Paper. Stanford Research in the Impact of Tobacco Advertising: 32–43. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Why Big Tobacco Targeted Blacks With Ads for Menthol Cigarettes". Cbsnews.com. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  6. ^ "A Look into our Past". R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  7. ^ "It's official: $27.4B Reynolds-Lorillard merger complete". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  8. ^ Willie the Kool Penguin at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015.
  9. ^ "Kool Cigarettes". Advertisement Gallery. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Kool Collectible Tobacco Cigarettes - eBay". eBay. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  11. ^ Staff writer. "From the Scoop: Millie and Willie". Diamond Comics Distributors. Diamond Comics Distributors Inc. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023.
  12. ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1 August 1953. p. 82. ISSN 0006-2510.
  13. ^ New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. June 26, 1995. p. 118. ISSN 0028-7369.
  14. ^ "Kool Asks: Is Your Menthol Cigarette Tasting Flat?". Brandhot.de / Hot Brands, Cool Ads. 14 February 2009. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved 2010-09-08. In German.
  15. ^ a b Tobacco Documents.org (archived, 14 Jul 2014)
  16. ^ "History of Snark Sailboats". Sailboatstogo.com.
  17. ^ "Detroiters' loyalty to Kool cigarettes in '70s frustrated Philip Morris". Motorcitymuckraker.com. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  18. ^ "March 23, 1981". 22 March 1981.
  19. ^ "CHAMPCAR/CART: Team Kool Green gets new colors". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  20. ^ "CHAMPCAR/CART: Dario Franchitti renews with Team Kool Green". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  21. ^ "BrandKool - Cigarettes Pedia". Cigarettespedia.com. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  22. ^ "Kool". Zigsam.at. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  23. ^ "Brands". Cigarety.by. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  24. ^ "A Review of Cigarette Marketing in Canada - kool". Smoke-free.ca. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  25. ^ "KOOL". npr.org. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
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