| For the past many years, much of the tobacco control | | | | 30 days, the preferred brands were Marlboro still at |
| world's notice has been focused on Marlboro | | | | No. 1 (54.5 percent), Newport now at No. 2 (21.6 |
| Cigarettes and Camel and their advertising and | | | | percent) and Camel at No. 3 (9.8 percent). |
| promotional campaigns featuring the Marlboro Man and | | | | While African Americans clearly prefer Newport, the |
| Joe Camel. While this was happening, Newport | | | | overall rise in Newport's popularity among adolescents |
| Cigarettes sales have been rising. Newport, for many | | | | cannot be explained by a change in Black youth |
| years the No. 1 menthol cigarette in the United States, | | | | smoking rates over this period. A Centers for Disease |
| is now second in status to long-time leader, Marlboro. | | | | Control & Prevention fact sheet notes that "in |
| According to an April 2000 article, "For the second | | | | 1991, White students (30.9 percent) were 2.5 times |
| year in a row, Greensboro's Lorillard Tobacco Co. was | | | | more likely than Black students (12.6 percent) to report |
| the only major cigarette maker to ship more product | | | | current smoking" and that similar trends were found in |
| nationwide than it did the year before." 1999, Newport | | | | 1999. |
| accounted for more than three-quarters of Lorillard's | | | | Although Black adolescent male smoking rates have |
| sales, and claimed a 7.5 percent share of the about | | | | fluctuated, the overall trend has been a leveling or slight |
| $50 billion cigarette market, up from 6.9 percent in 1998, | | | | decline. Black adolescent female current smoking rates |
| according to the Maxwell Report. | | | | have remained relatively low for most of the decade |
| A year earlier, the same publication called Newport the | | | | with respect to other race/gender groups. |
| "fastest growing cigarette in the country" and quoted a | | | | More than one-fifth of beginning smokers are now |
| tobacco analyst as saying, "Pound for pound, Newport | | | | smoking Newport cigarettes - a rather dramatic rise |
| is the strongest brand in the market.'' Recent reports | | | | from just six years ago. Newport has passed Camel |
| show that Newport is responsible for 80 percent of | | | | cigarettes to become No. 2 on the list of favorite |
| Lorillard's sales of $4.2 billion in revenue and net income | | | | smokes of White and Hispanic youth. According to the |
| of $629 million in 2000. | | | | 1999 NHSDA, 16.5 percent of White youth smokers |
| It has been known for more than a decade that | | | | preferred Newport in comparison to an 11.2 percent |
| African Americans are the "franchise" consumers of | | | | preference for Camel. Among Hispanic youth, the gap |
| Newport, and other mentholated cigarette brands. But | | | | was even wider - 18.6 percent for Newport vs. 7.1 |
| the dramatic success of Newport raises questions | | | | percent for Camel. |
| about the rest of its audience. The recent 1999 | | | | And the Newport increase isn't restricted to youth. |
| National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) | | | | Lorillard's flagship menthol brand has even increased its |
| answers some - but not all - of those questions. | | | | popularity with adults. The CDC's 1993 estimate was |
| The last time that the federal government published | | | | that Newport had just 4.8 percent of the adult market. |
| brand preference data comparing adults and | | | | By 1999, the NHSDA gave Newport 15.6 percent of |
| adolescents was data for 1993. Now new data has | | | | adult smokers ages 18-25 and 6.5 percent of adult |
| become available from the 1999 NHSDA. | | | | smokers 26 and older - showing growth in all three |
| Unfortunately, the data from the 1993 and 1999 two | | | | age groups. |
| surveys are not comparable because the 1993 youth | | | | How much of this is due to an increased demand for |
| data was based on Teenage Attitudes and Practices | | | | menthol cigarettes? It's not possible to say because |
| Survey (TAPS) rather than the household survey. | | | | federal surveys did not ask smokers if their preferred |
| Nevertheless, it is interesting to look at how the | | | | brand was menthol or non-menthol. Inferences had to |
| Newport brand fared in both surveys. | | | | be drawn from the brand choices. However, according |
| In 1993, among adolescent smokers, Marlboro was No. | | | | to an analyst, writing earlier this year, "The only brand |
| 1 (60.0 percent), followed by Camel at No. 2 (13.3 | | | | besides Newport to gain market share was leading |
| percent) and Newport at No. 3 (12.7 percent). In 1999, | | | | seller Marlboro, which in 1999 commanded 36.4 percent |
| among youth ages 12-17 who had smoked in the last | | | | of the market, up from 35.3 percent in 1998". |