PM History/2 - Legacy Tobacco Documents Library

PM history/33
--PM MAY MAKE FILTER CIG SOON, FIRM'S PRES . HIN25 (first word of the
Marlboro), 7 19_53 :"PM may soon add a filter tip to its line of eigs,"
is simple declarative lead, hint of thi.s iven b Me Comas at stockho"-
mt$ dav before . . .he notes fi er m is ncreas ng a O- a yr &"(o)ur
research laboratories are directing a very substantial part of their efforts
to -the filter-tip mkt" + "If & when we bring out a filter-tip-cig,
it is our faitm-r~in~tention that it shall be consistent w/the standards of
quality we have striven to maintain at PM"##*~#'""*'x'this comes after a first
fiscal qtr ended June 30 in which total sales declined by $1 .3 million but
earnings did $500,000 better . . .noting that sales growth is evident in
king-size, cork-tip & filter mkts -- PM's answer was to launch PM king
& new natl mktg of the DUNHILL both cork-tip & regular (RKz the big news
I about to comej'"Y"x"'~""')
--FEARS & JITTERS, BW 1s-14-53= Even as Marlboro is aborni , PM still
trying o ma e the old PM ran go w o a v espJe e s ap y FTC, see fullpage
ad w/big headline "The cig that takes the FEAR out of smk~l" & text
that comes "as close as poseible to the wor cancer w/o actually using it,"
this soon after Wynder' mous -skin report RK believes . . .adding that
~ tnaAKB -Is'C111) O S di-ethylene t 1~ s, g "GRe yco cig DOES NOT PROD V-
TATING V ORS P CI "(RKe note ow this is
.a,. . Vi- IN EVE Y OTHER LEADING
at east as directly con£rontation wres of industry as the Kent dbl
trucks ballyhooing the Micronite filter . . .noting PM already slapped down
~ by FTC order of previous vr for its claims for Di-G1, but not ma e'f al
ye~(Sf or er ,"FTC told PM to stop imp ying t~t [it) is an important
. factor in reducing irritation~:from smkg, & to stop implied disparagement
of other brands"#~r''E**'*-*,F#~r#"'~r~,(RKs this shows how bankrupt the old PM pitch
had become'x'~'*~'"**''Fmust use this)
-'55 ANNUAL MTG W/CHEERFUL NEWS ON NEW MARLBORO : at )i-13 55 mtg, Me-
,'Comas sez Marlboro intro "HAS BEEN MOST ENCOURAGING & IT IS SELi,G gT_ A
j RATE WE HAD NOT ANTICIPATED FOR MANY MONTHS," additional machnery has been
1111' or ered & comp9.ete natl d~.stribution anticipated before the fal1 . . ."IN
~
TIME, THE BRAND WILL BE PROFITABLE, but because of the hvy costs incurred
in its introduction. we do not expect it to materially affect our '55
earnings picture" . . .stressing every intention of exploiting great potential
' abroad for PM products//Howard S . Cullman, chairman of Port of NY Authority
& "one of America's most dis ngu s e business & civic leaders," elected
to bd to fill vacancy created by the':i~ecen:t :i_death of his bro Jos Jr
((({111
--PM FACT SHEET 9-18-5~zs Plants listed in Richmond, Louisville, London
& Melbourne . . . c omas res, Jos III exec , Clark Ames vp-production,
Wirt Hatcher vp- ea , an er 1 ee, secy & treas & Robt W . Roper
vp-industrial relations . . .chairman of bd Alfred E . Lvo,_, . . .brands listed :
PM reg & king, Marlboro pop price filter ong slze, Parliament premium
price filter reg & king, Dunhill pop price king, plain & cork tip, Eng
/~ Ovals premium price reg//RECENT HILITES . Feb 'S4 ACQUISITION OF B&H . . .
,~ April '54 McComas temp . chairman of new Tob Industry Research Committee ;
Jan '55 ouening o~f cig factory in Austr_alia . . .Feb '55 PM establishment
ment of production faci].it ies 3n Ph3lippines . . .also Feb '55 NATL DISTRI-
BUTION OF MARLBORO w/flip-top, crush-proof box . . .$eut '55 PM introduces
ew red, white & R1_d ack for its old mainstav, PM cigs, see cl p~net \0
page spe ing of yrs rs or ' ~ researc , move away from the old tobacco- CN
brown pack "recognizes a definite & recent transition in consumer color ~
preferences," sez MeC ~
-'~_STOCKHOLDER MTG . MILPRINT ACBUISITION OKAYED s Amendment ~
approved ~o ~a11ow PM to diversify in o3eT'ds n relt ated to tob/pic of ~
DuPuis succeeds Clark Ames at NY hq in production after research jpb . . . ~
McComas (AT HIS LAST ANNUAL MTG) tells stockholders co is increasing
~~ adv & promo efforts esp behind its filter brands "to take full advantage
of PM's commanding lead w/the flip-top box type of cig packaging"//deflects
stockholder inquiry as to }vhether PM & Ford are two of "largest '6_ ~-'
of the NAACP & he sez "It 3.8 ra. eta~r shockina 10 m~ as a southern corn .
that this co . s ould be subjected to a oycott in the sou & no southern= : .
voice (was) raised in our defense," said PM had NOT contributed to NAACP
& added (crytically) . " outhern entlemen kee~ & let a southern corp .
be boycotted by libel" sea 1 print as 1n egration as well as diversification
in view of dramatic effect on PM biz of new packaging techniques in
past 3 yrs, i .e ., the flip-top box
--PARLIAMENT REYA~~9-58, Parliament to et new filter, new flavor,
new rice . .e escribed as a"H1-F1" or hig 1 tration bran
REDUCE T ' NTENT by as much as 25 &-o respective y, co o icials say
+ new blend ~gve smkr MORE FLAVOR + lower ric to match other pop .
filters . . .fu11-page ads to introduce new blen w reference to CR mag
favorable report on it#~*#xr~##(see other cf . to this & CU's anger) . . .
this develo result ' c d consumer dem d for a hi h-filter
cir, STRIKINGLY EVIDENCED IN "THE SUDDEN RISE 3NPOPULAR2TY" OF NT cigs
http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/fmw44c00/pdf