In some countries where Philip Morris does not hold the Benson & Hedges trademark, such as the Philippines, a variant of the North American Benson & Hedges cigarette brand is sold under the "Philip Morris" brand using similar packaging.
History
An old pack of English Benson & Hedges cigarettes, with a UK text warning at the bottom of the pack
Benson & Hedges was founded in London in 1873 by Richard Benson and William Hedges as Benson and Hedges Ltd. Alfred Paget Hedges succeeded his father in the business in 1885, the same year which Richard Benson left the business. The 1900s saw branches of Benson & Hedges Ltd. opening in the United States and Canada. In 1928, the American branch became independent, and was bought by Philip Morris in 1958. Benson & Hedges Ltd in the UK was acquired by the Gallaher Group in 1955.[5]
A Royal Warrant was issued to the British company in 1878, after the required five years of supply to the Royal Family.[citation needed] It was revoked in 1999 due to a "lack of demand in the royal households".[6] The Warrant seal, which had previously been on the flip lid of the box, was removed.
Spin-offs
In July 1968, Philip Morris released Virginia Slims which were a spin-off of Benson & Hedges intended to be sold to women. They were sold during a period of time where society was beginning to realize the dangers of smoking. Therefore, they were a thinner and more "elegant" alternative to regular cigarettes.[7]
From 1996 to 2005, the company was the primary sponsor of the Jordan Grand Prix team. When racing in countries with bans on tobacco advertising (such as the United Kingdom, France and later Germany, Belgium, Canada, United States, Italy, Turkey), the team used alternative liveries such as "Bitten & Hisses", "Buzzin' Hornets", "Bitten Heroes" and "Be on Edge" to bypass the bans on cigarette advertising while still promoting their product.
Australian Touring Car Championship
Tony Longhurst's 1988 Bathurst 1000 winning Ford Sierra at the Bathurst museum
Benson & Hedges sponsored a touring ice show, "Benson & Hedges on Ice", in the late 1980s.[citation needed]
Cricket
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the company was a major sponsor of international cricket, with naming rights for Test Cricket with the home Australia tests and most of the one-day international tournaments held in Australia including the World Series Cup, the World Championship of Cricket held in 1985 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Victoria and the 1992 Cricket World Cup held by Australia and New Zealand and the English County one day cup competition the Benson & Hedges Cup. The Australian sponsorship ended in 1996 due to the Federal Governments ban on tobacco advertising while the sponsorship in England carried on until 2002 when the UK Government banned tobacco sponsorship which led to the English competition to be replaced by the T20 Cup now known as the T20 Blast.
Other
Benson & Hedges was a big sponsor of the iD Dunedin Fashion Week in New Zealand from the 1940s until 1995, when tobacco sponsorship was banned completely. The Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 was already passed in 1990 which restricted smoking in offices, the public parts of workplaces, and in public and eating places and transport; banned advertising of tobacco products, tobacco sponsorship, and tobacco advertising on other goods, and established a health sponsorship council.
Before that however, Benson & Hedges sponsored the fashion week by awarding their tickets in gold cigarette box-inspired packaging and by allowing the women to pick various novelty items and cigarette accessories.[8]
Benson & Hedges sponsored the movie B&H Golden Dreams (next B&H Gold & Dreams) and B&H Golden Dreams Extreme on TV3 in the 1990s.[citation needed]
Controversy
Canadian class-action lawsuit
The three largest Canadian tobacco companies, Imperial Tobacco Canada, JTI-Macdonald Corp, and Rothmans Benson & Hedges, were the subject of the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history, brought by current and former smokers. The case started on 12 March 2012 in Quebec Superior Court, and the companies faced a potential payout of C$27 billion (US$27.30 billion) in damages and penalties.[9][10][11] In addition, a number of Canadian provinces are teaming up to sue tobacco companies to recover healthcare costs caused by smoking.[9]
On 1 June 2015, Quebec Superior Court Justice Brian Riordan had awarded more than $15 billion to Quebec smokers in a landmark case that pitted them against three Canadian cigarette giants, including JTI-Macdonald Corp.[12][13]
Markets
The cigarettes are available in Gold or Silver forms, and in some countries also as Red, Green (Menthol), Blue, White and Black. Japan Tobacco also manufactures Hamlet cigars.
In the United States, the brand is owned by Philip Morris USA and available varieties include Kings (box), Menthol (box), Multifilter Kings (soft pack), DeLuxe (box), DeLuxe Menthol (box), Luxury, and Luxury Menthol (soft pack or box).[citation needed] Beginning in 1967, US television ads for the Benson and Hedges brand featured a musical theme (written by Mitch Leigh[14]) called "The Disadvantages Of You;" of which an adapted version charted briefly for a group called The Brass Ring. The commercials humorously depicted various "disadvantages" encountered by smokers struggling to adapt to the unusual length of Benson and Hedges 100s, which were "longer than king-size, at the same price as king-size". These commercials ran until cigarette advertising was banned on US television in 1971. The related print advertising campaign ran for several years afterward.
Surreal Benson & Hedges poster at Victoria Station, London, c. 1981
In the 1980s, the company's products were advertised in a series of posters and cinema films which featured the gold pack in various surreal juxtapositions and transformations, devoid of words and people. [citation needed] In 2001, brand was changed from Special Filter to Gold, and a Silver version was introduced, with reduced tar content and 0.1mg less nicotine, at a slightly cheaper price. In 2008, a 14 cigarette pack was launched, alongside existing 10 and 20 packs. In July 2009, a Gold and Silver versions of rolling tobacco were launched. As of June2011[update], the company's UK brands were Gold, Silver, White and Gold Superkings, and rolling tobacco. Discontinued former brands in the UK have included: Sovereign, Gold Bond, Virginia Red, Virginia Blue, and Black.[citation needed]
In October 2012, a new cigarette called Benson and Hedges Dual was introduced. If the smoker prefers a menthol cigarette, they press the capsule inside of the filter and the cigarette goes from regular to a menthol tasting cigarette. In 2020, however, this cigarette was taken off the market due to the EU menthol cigarette ban.[citation needed]
Overseas markets
In the 1930s, Benson & Hedges (Overseas) Ltd was established by Abraham Wix to handle international trade. This branch was acquired by British American Tobacco in 1956. Today, British American Tobacco markets Benson & Hedges throughout Asia and the Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand, but with the exception of Taiwan and the Philippines. The Canadian branch of Benson and Hedges is owned by Philip Morris International.[citation needed]
In Australia, the company's cigarettes are available as Classic 25s, Rich 25s, Smooth 20s, 25s, Subtle 25s, Fine 25s and Ultimate 25s, in the standard Australian plain packaging.[citation needed]
Products
United States
Products available in the US from 2020.
Regular
Benson & Hedges Premium (Full Flavor) 100's
Benson & Hedges Luxury (Lights) 100's
Benson & Hedges DeLuxe (Ultra Lights) 100's
Menthol
Benson & Hedges Premium (Menthol Full Flavor) 100's
Kool is an American brand of menthol cigarette, currently owned and manufactured by ITG Brands LLC, a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco Company. Kool cigarettes sold outside of the United States are manufactured by British American Tobacco.
Parliament is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA in the United States and Philip Morris International outside of the United States.
Virginia Slims is an American brand of cigarettes owned by Altria. It is manufactured by Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris International.
Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette, named after Chesterfield County, Virginia. The brand is owned by conglomerate Altria and produced by its subsidiary Philip Morris USA.
Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH) is a Canadian manufacturer and distributor of tobacco products. It was formed by the merger of the Canadian units of Rothmans International and the Benson & Hedges brand – owned by Philip Morris.
Silk Cut is a British brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a division of Japan Tobacco. The packaging is characterised by a distinctive stark white packet with the brand name in a purple, blue, red, silver, white or green square.
Superkings is a British brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Imperial Tobacco.
Salem is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by ITG Brands, a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco, inside the U.S. and by Japan Tobacco outside the United States.
Lambert & Butler is a former English tobacco manufacturing company, established in 1834 in Clerkenwell, Central London, that operated as a private business until 1901 when it merged with other UK manufacturers to form the Imperial Tobacco Company. Apart from tobacco products L&B also released several cigarette card sets from the 1910s to the 1930s. They consisted of various topics including motor cars, locomotives, horsemanship, aviation, and association football.
Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is an American multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. The most recognized and best selling product of the company is Marlboro. Philip Morris International is often referred to as one of the companies comprising Big Tobacco.
Doral is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
Kensitas Club, is a Scottish brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco. Before May 2017, Club cigarettes in UK came in a distinct blue packet with the CLUB name and a lion's head.
Embassy is a British brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Imperial Tobacco.
Mayfair is an English brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco.
Sterling is a British brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco in 2007.
Tobacco marketing targeting African-Americans refers to the practice of customizing tobacco products and advertising techniques specifically to African-American consumers. It is most commonly analyzed through the consumption of mentholated cigarettes, as it represents 47% of black adult smokers and 84% of adolescent black smokers.
Canadian Classics is a Canadian brand of cigarettes, currently owned by Philip Morris International, and manufactured by its subsidiary Rothmans, Benson & Hedges
Philip Morris is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned by Philip Morris International. Cigarettes are manufactured by the firm worldwide except in the US, where Philip Morris USA produces tobacco products.
Belmont is a Canadian brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris International (PMI) in most parts of the world.
As nicotine is highly addictive, marketing nicotine-containing products is regulated in most jurisdictions. Regulations include bans and regulation of certain types of advertising, and requirements for counter-advertising of facts generally not included in ads. Regulation is circumvented using less-regulated media, such as Facebook, less-regulated nicotine delivery products, such as e-cigarettes, and less-regulated ad types, such as industry ads which claim to discourage nicotine addiction but seem, according to independent studies, to promote teen nicotine use.
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