|
An
Uptown Cigarette ad and packaging.
|
It
looked so slick! A cigarette pack that was gold with black
writing. Prototype ads billed it as "Uptown. The Place.
The Taste." In December 1989, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
planned to test market this new brand of cigarette called
"Uptown". This brand contained menthol, an ingredient
that is heavily marketed to African American smokers.
R.J.
Reynolds planned to take advantage of media that was particularly
effective in reaching African Americans,
|
including billboards, transit advertising, bus shelters, point-of-purchase
signage and advertisements in African American-oriented newspapers
and magazines. In fact, introduction of Uptown was to coincide
with Black History Month in February 1990, a time of high
level of activity in African American communities. This timing
would allow R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to underwrite various
activities and distribute free cigarettes in these venues.
Opposition
mounted quickly. >
MORE
|
