We finally compiled a list of all the quotes we used for our Killer Quotes tour. Check them out and download the PDF for print out below.

 

Tobacco Industry Doc Quotes

 

Download the PDF of all the quotes to print out here.

 

“They got lips? We want them.”
Terence Sullivan, a sales representative for R.J. Reynolds, says: “We were targeting kids, and I said at the time it was unethical and maybe illegal, but I was told it was just company policy.” Sullivan remembers someone asking who exactly were the young people that R.J. Reynolds was targeting—junior high school kids or even younger? The reply was “They got lips? We want them.”

“Cherry Skoal is for somebody who likes the taste of candy, if you know what I’m saying.” – U.S. Tobacco

“we really need something for people to die of.”
British American Tobacco Tobacco November 20, 1978 Bates Number 109881385/1407

“The base of our business is the high school student”
This memo dated August 1978 was sent to Curtis H. Judge, President of the Lorillard Tobacco Company, from Lorillard area sales manager Ted L. Achey. In it, Achey discusses the market success of Newports among African-American and “young adult” groups. Achey emphasizes that, “...the base of our business is the high school student.”  Bates No. 03537131/7132

“We must get our share of the youth market”
In this R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company marketing reserach report, Claude Edward Teague, Jr. of RJR’s research department muses about how to attract “pre-smokers” or “learners” to smoking in a marketplace where the company cannot do so overtly: “It should be said that we are presently, and I believe unfairly, constrained from directly promoting cigarettes to the youth market...Realistically, if our Company is to survive and prosper, over the long term, we must get our share of the youth market. In my opinion, this will require new brands tailored to the youth market...”  Bates # TIOK0034691/4702


“If it was legal to sell to ‘em, we’d be glad to. But it’s not” - Walker Merryman

I wonder whether comic strip type copy might get a much higher readership amongyounger people than any other type of copy. 1973 RJR


“SALEM has developed promotional outreach activities designed to establish the Brand as a highly visible member of the Black community.” 1983 RJR Marketing Document Black Marketing Plan

“Very few consumers are aware of the effects of nicotine, i.e., its addictive nature and that nicotine is a poison.” This 1978 internal Brown & Williamson shows that in 1978 the company was aware not only that nicotine was both addictive and poisonous, but that cigarette consumers were largely unaware of these characteristics. Bates 665043966
 

“Tomorrow there’ll be more CAMELS in this town than in all Asia and Africa combined.”- CAMEL Cigarettes. This piece  refers to the 1913 advertising campaign by  N.W. Ayers who was paid $250.000 to introduce the Camel  brand on behalf  of R.J. Reynolds. From the style, I suspect a much later origin unrelated to RJR.
 

“Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer.” Philip Morris Memo, 1981

 “It’s a well-known fact that teen-agers like sweet products. Honey might be considered” – Brown and Williamson, 1974 - Bates No. 170042014 - http://tobaccodocuments.org/product_design/1023751.html?pattern=170042014#images

 
“We don’t smoke that shit, we just sell it. We reserve the right to smoke for the young, the black, the poor, and the stupid.” – R.J. Reynolds 1992

 

“Young adult smokers are the only source of replacement smokers.  If younger adults turn away from smoking, the industry must decline...”- R.J. Reynolds 1978

Here is another document, apparently a quote as spoken by Goerlitz and written in the first person, documenting the quote:
http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/xfu61d00 <http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/xfu61d00&nbsp;>


“The Key subgroups in the younger adult market that RJR needs to address are females and Blacks” - RJR, Consumer Research Report for Key trends among target age group smokers (1984) 

“Salem will become the national primary brand in the Hispanic market.…” - RJR 1984  http://tobaccodocuments.org/rjr/503510158-0169.html


“(Camel advertising will create) the perception that Camel smokers are non-conformist, self-confident and project a cool attitude, which is admired by their peers.” 1986 RJR Letter

“Brown + Williamson will not support a youth smoking program which discourages young people from smoking.” - 1983 Tobacco Institute memo


“Students are tremendously loyal. If you catch them, they’ll stick with you like glue.” - 1950 Philip Morris memo


“The media like the money they make from our advertisements and they are an ally that we can and should exploit.” - The 1985 memo, written by former Philip Morris chief executive Hamish Maxwell, planned to shape public opinion in the company’s favour by using its “considerable clout with the media.”

“At least a part of the success of Marlboro Red during its most rapid growth period was because it became the brand of choice among teenagers who then stuck with it as they grew older.” Philip Morris Memo 1981 - Bates No. 1000390803. - http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/1000390803-0855.html?pattern=1000390803#images

 
“We will no longer be able to rely on a rapidly increasing pool of teenagers from which to replace smokers through lost normal attrition. . . Because of our high share of the market among the youngest smokers Philip Morris will suffer more than the other companies from the decline in the number of teenage smokers.” Philip Morris Memo 1981 - Bates No. 1000390803. - http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/1000390803-0855.html?pattern=1000390803

“The ability to attract new smokers and develop them into a young adult franchise is key to brand development.” Philip Morris 1999 Bates No. 2044895379/484

“Thus, the vitality and development of the Marlboro Red franchise depends on a growing share of young adult smokers.” Philip Morris 1992 Bates No. 2044895379/484
http://tobaccodocuments.org/pm/2044895379-5484.html

“If our Company is to survive and prosper, over the long term we must get our share of the youth market.” RJR, 1973. Bates No 502987357 -7368.
http://tobaccodocuments.org/product_design/502987357-7368.html?pattern=502987357-7368#images

“Smoking may appear to enhance that self-image in a variety of ways.  If one values, for example, and adventurous, sophisticated, adult image, smoking may enhance ones self-image...This self image enhancement effect has traditionally been a strong promotional theme for cigarette brands and should continue to be emphasized.” No 502987357 -7368. RJR, 1973

“As this 14-24 age group matures, they will account for a key share of the total cigarette volume.” RJR, 1974 Bates No. 501421310 -1335.

“To ensure increased and longer-term growth for CAMEL FILTER, the brand must increase its share penetration among the 14- 24 age group which have a new set of more liberal values and which represent tomorrow’s cigarette business.” Bates No. 505775557 -5557. RJR, 1976

“Evidence is now available to indicate that the 14-to-18- year-old group is an increasing segment of the smoking population. RJR-T must soon establish a successful new brand in this market if our position in the industry is to be maintained over the long term.” Bates No. 502819513 -9532. RJR, 1976
 
“Obviously maximum use should be made of magazines which are known to have high teen readership.” Bates No. 500165434 -5439.  Winston-Salem, 1973
 
“As this 14-24 age group matures, they will account for a key share of the total cigarette volume -- for at least the next 25 years.” 1974 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (163 ch) Bates No. 501421310 -1335

 “We wanted to get into that market, (youth market) and used the promotional items, tee shirts, baseball caps, and one hot item were lighters, knowing full well the people were giving these away to was kids half the time.”(Salesman for RJR) (239 ch) (Hilts.97) - http://www.costkids.org/targetingkids/behindcloseddoors.htm

 
“Growth is from 16-15 year olds. At the present rate, a smoker in the 16-25 year age group will soon be three times as important to Kool as a prospect in any other broad age category.” 1973 Brown and Williamson memo

“Young blacks have found their thing. It’s menthol in general and KOOL in particular.” 1974 Philip Morris marketing plan

“Studies of clinical data tend to confirm the relationship between heavy and prolonged tobacco smoking and incidence of cancer of the lung.” RJ Reynolds, 1953

 “There are biologically active materials present in cigarette smoking. These are: cancer causing, cancer promoting, poisonous, stimulating” A consulting firm, working for the US Liggett Company reviewed the results of seven year’s research work. 1961

“Very few customers are aware of the effects of nicotine, i.e. its addictive nature and that nicotine is a poison.” 1979 B&W document

“Nicotine is addictive. We are, then, in the business of selling nicotine, an addictive drug.” B&W, 1963 

“BAT should learn to look at itself as a drug company rather than as a tobacco company.” (April 1980 memo by a team of BAT scientists)

“Do we really want to tout cigarette smoke as a drug” It is, or course.” (February 1969 memo from a Philip Morris researcher)

• tobacco
• industry
• docs
• killer
• quotes
• killerquote
• killerquotes
• documents