Newport Cigarette Commercial - 1960's

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If you miss the bus, don't fret. A happy Newport cigarette billboard is bound to entertain you.

And don't forget, menthol lovers, 'Newport tastes fresher, tastes better, too.'

Is it illegal to run a cigarette ad here?

Newport, introduced in 1957, is a brand of menthol cigarettes produced by Lorillard Tobacco Company of Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Newports comprise about 35 percent of menthol cigarette sales in the US. Newports have gained a commanding share of the black market; a 2005 survey stated that 49.5% of cigarette sales to blacks were Newports.

Newport Classic full flavor cigarettes were promoted for many years as a cigarette that allows you to "Enjoy a full flavor menthol, without drowning out pure tobacco taste." A lawsuit against the Lorillard Tobacco Company revealed that in the late 1950's company vans were used to make regular trips to housing projects where free Newport cigarettes were given to children.

In the mid 1980's, Newport began an advertising campaign that courted African Americans in urban areas. In two years, Newports became the fifth most popular cigarette on the market. A 2004 study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that the percentage of teen Newport smokers doubled between 1989 and 1996. Researcher Karen Gerlach indicated that Newports made the most significant progress with the Hispanic and White American teen markets in those years. A 1998 Massachusetts Department of Public Health report indicated that Newports alongside unfiltered Camel cigarettes contained the highest levels of nicotine in cigarettes on the market. In the following six years, Lorillard Tobacco increased the amount of nicotine in Newports by 10%.

Newport cigarettes come in several varieties: Full Flavor, Medium, and Lights. They are sold in 85mm king size soft packs, 80mm hard packs/boxes (referred to as "shorts"), and 100's in both soft and hard packs. The 100mm has a longer filter than the king size or "shorts" variety. They are available in standard packs of 20 cigarettes, as well as the more unusual 25s, containing 25 cigarettes. Prior to the signing of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement in the late 1990s, they were sold in packs of ten as well.

Non-menthol Newports in Full Flavor and Lights were sold in United States during the mid to late 1990s, possibly as late as 2002; however they have since been discontinued. The packs were identical in design to standard menthol Newports except the turquoise-colored area was red on the Full Flavors and mustard-yellow on the Lights. Newport Slim 120s (introduced 1998), Newport "Stripes", and Newport "M-Blend" were other varieties that have also been discontinued.