Salem cigarettes were launched in 1956 by RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company as the first filtered menthol cigarettes. When the brand was introduced in 1956, Salem’s slogan was “Take a Puff, It’s Spring,” which was used for several years after that.
Its name (along with the Winston brand) comes from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the city in which RJR’s headquarters were founded and located. Salem cigarettes are unique in that they are mixed with Asian menthol, and not with the traditional mainstream menthol. In 2015, the Salem cigarettes brand was sold to Imperial Tobacco Group in Reynolds’ acquisition of Lorillard Tobacco Company.
In 1982, Salem renamed its product towards a younger generation and launched a new campaign called “Salem Spirit”. The new campaign challenged Newport’s ongoing efforts aimed at young people and attempted to steal Kool. In Salem Spirit, groups of young men and women band together for fun youthful activities, from sleigh rides and hot air balloon rides to picnics and ocean fun. Internal RJ Reynolds documents describe Salem smokers as confident, modern and young smokers (18-23) who have been characterized as social leaders/catalysts as uniquely possessing this sense of humor/wit. spontaneity, warmth and unpretentious style, with which they had fun and interesting. The advertisements have been carefully designed to target this very specific audience in a variety of ways. One way was to use what R.J. Reynolds called them “refreshment communicators.” Used to reflect potentially unknown menthol sensations for new smokers, refreshment communicators included greenery, water, snow and outdoor situations.
Another method of engaging youth was to use young, fun models in the campaign: exemplary attitudes would continue to promote campaign imagery through warmth/care as a means of expressing a sense of belonging to the group and acceptance by the peer group, one document explains, citing peer pressure as the primary method of getting young people on the hook. This is an important element that distinguishes the Spirit campaign from Newport’s exclusive connection. The proximity model will be emphasized to achieve the social acceptability of smoking. Another result of the model intimacy was that all the activities seemed young and almost childish. Indeed, having a drink at a picnic, sledding, swinging on a tree swing, or playing chicken on the beach are all children’s activities that stand in stark contrast to claims that advertising is aimed solely at an adult audience.