While e cigs make up just 1 percent of the U.S. tobacco market, the big manufacturers need to offset declining sales of traditional cigarettes. Reynolds advanced 0.2 percent to $48.54 at 9 32 a.m. in New York. Through Aug. 23, the shares had advanced 17 percent this year, matching the Standard & Poor s 500 Index.

The U.S. government banned cigarette ads on television and radio in 1971, after the industry lost a hard fought battle with anti smoking groups. Because the FDA doesn t regulate e cigs, makers are taking a calculated risk and advertising their wares on TV to build as much share as possible before the agency weighs in. The FDA declined to comment for this story.

Reynolds spent years embedding its smokes in the popular culture. Barney and Fred lit up Winstons on the Flintstones. So did Granny and Jed on the Beverly Hillbillies. More recently, Reynolds tangled with smoking foes over Joe Camel, its advertising mascot for most of the 1990s. It dropped the character in 1997.

Over the last 25 years Reynolds on multiple occasions has used advertising that has been sharply criticized for its appeal to youth, said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids in Washington.

Spinning Earth

So Myers was a bit surprised by the Vuse ad, saying it isn t among the worst he s seen advertising e cigs.

The commercial, which was produced by CHI & Partners in London, could easily be hawking a smartphone or tablet and doesn t reveal the product until almost half way through.

It opens with the sun rising over the spinning Earth.

Tomorrow needs a spark, something to move us forward, a male voice intones against a backdrop of soothing music and futuristic, fast moving images of stars streaking across the sky, lights spreading across a cityscape and headlights streaming along a highway. It s time smoking changed forever. Welcome to Vuse.

It is a more sophisticated ad that is less blatant in targeting young people and non smokers than many of the others we have seen, Myers said. It does glamorize smoking. It does make the act of smoking Vuse a 21st century activity clearly designed to appeal to a broader public than committed smokers.

Nicotine Delivery

Vuse is aimed at tobacco users trying e cigs for the first time or ones who are unsatisfied with the flavor and nicotine delivery of products already on the market, said Stephanie Cordisco, president of R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co., the Reynolds subsidiary that developed the e cig.

Reynolds spent more than five years developing Vuse and considered acquisitions to enter the category, Cordisco said in an interview. With most electronic cigarettes made in China, Reynolds decided it could develop a game changer in its hometown of Winston Salem, North Carolina, by using a microprocessor to deliver puffs of nicotine consistently, Cordisco said. She declined to disclose spending on the product.

Consumers interested in e cigs aren t looking for celebrity endorsements they re looking for a product that works, said Cordisco, 36, who previously worked on new varieties and packaging for Camel, Reynolds top selling brand, in her eight years at the company.

Late Night TV

Reynolds is taking precautions with Vuse, planning to run the TV commercial late at night and other times when adults make up at least 85 percent of the viewership, Cordisco said. She wouldn t disclose time slots and shows, saying arrangements are still being negotiated.

Health advocates say e cigs lure young people to take up a habit that may lead to smoking.

We are seeing an explosion of advertising because the cigarette companies think these products have enormous market potential, Myers said. They have the potential to undo decades of work to deglamorize smoking with teenagers.

Commercials for blu eCigs, which controls about 40 percent of the U.S. market for electronic cigarettes, uses actor Stephen Dorff and Jenny McCarthy, a new co anchor of ABC s The View, to endorse the product.

Playboy Playmate

When it comes to smoking, smelling like an ashtray is not the ideal aphrodisiac, McCarthy, a former Playboy Playmate of the Year, says in a video on blu eCig s website. There is nothing sexy about going outside in the rain or freezing your butt off just to take a puff.

Jason Healy, blu eCig s founder, defends the commercials.

Our advertising is very different to what tobacco used to be, he said in a telephone interview. Cigarette advertising was always fictitious. There is no such person as the Marlboro man. There is no such thing as Joe Camel. Blu is about someone who happens to be famous telling their story.

To contact the reporter on this story Chris Burritt in Greensboro at cburritt

To contact the editor responsible for this story Robin Ajello at rajello

Marlboro cigarettes — name origin of the brand — high names agency

One of the products that reach people from all ages (at least all that are of age) without a lot of advertising is the cigarettes. At least nowadays they don t need ads. People just smoke them not for the ad, but for the quality they offer. All this is combines somewhat with the price of the pack of cigarettes or the bag of tobacco. And ads can t really make you switch from one brand to another, unless you re looking for a new one. However, names are the identity of the cigarette brands, and regular customers are the best ad possible. This naming article is about Marlboro the largest selling brand of cigarettes in the world. Indeed they are widely popular based on their old ad with the cowboy. The ad was created in the 1950 s to convert male smokers to buy Marlboro cigarettes, which were being sold as feminine until then. And the manly cowboy did the trick.

But we re talking about naming here. One may assume the name originated from the town the founder was born in and that wouldn t be unexpected. Many companies are named based on similar ideas (see IKEA post). Furthermore, there are many places called Marlborough all over the world England, Australia, Canada, USA, New Zealand etc. How original must it have been to simply change Marlborough spelling to Marlboro? Well, the real story is not too far from the suggestion. Phillip Morris, the founder of the company, opened a shop in which he was selling tobacco and rolled cigarettes. This was in 1847 and the location was Bond Street, London, UK. However, after his death, relatives took care of the business, and eventually it grew enough for a first factory to be opened. The factory was located on Great Marlborough Street, London (you can see what the street looked like around that time here). The owners, a company called Phillip Morris Companies Inc. at the time (the name is Altria Group nowadays), decided to go for a simple name Marlboro. A name that has proven though the years and is the most popular cigarette brand.

If you’re interested in reading more stories on company and brand naming you can check the related naming article on the popular Zippo lighters or something not so related like the naming of the Visa bank cards.

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