American Tobacco believed their innovative manufacturing process which consisted of toasting tobacco leaves gave Luckies a unique taste and would tap a new market with their distinctive flavor.ĭuring the 1920’s and 30’s American Tobacco hired the nephew of Sigmund Freud who is now known as “the father of public relations” Edward Bernays to manage their public relations and brand image. Starting in 1917, Lucky Strike launched the well-known marketing slogan “It’s Toasted” in an effort to differentiate their product from the typical sun-dried cigarettes of the time, most importantly the wildly popular Camel brand. The result was the red bull’s-eye on a green background that is recognized worldwide to this day. The company later hired the successful industrial designer Raymond Loewy known for creating the logos for Coca-Cola, Campbell’s Soup, Exxon and others to create their brand logo. Due to the continued success of the tobacco industry in the United States, American Tobacco decided to expand the Lucky Strike brand to include the well-known 70 mm American blend Lucky Strike Cigarettes in 1916. Patterson Tobacco Company was acquired by the American Tobacco Company in 1905 and decided to maintain the Lucky Strike chewing tobacco brand for 11 years. The rumor that Lucky Strikes cigarettes got their name because the company would randomly insert marijuana cigarettes as a “lucky strike” for consumers still persists but has no backing due to its cut-plug origins.Īn Early Lucky Strike 1 Cent Cigarette Vending Machine This is understandable as hard working miners could keep working while using cut plug style chewing tobacco without stopping for a cigarette break. As only a few miners would strike gold the product was directed toward the 49’ers to bring luck to their attempt to make a lucky strike with their pick and find gold. The name Lucky Strike or “Luckies” is believed to be a reference to the gold rush in the Sierra Nevada region of California, which started in 1849. Patterson Tobacco Company based in Richmond, Virginia. Many people don’t know that Lucky Strike was first introduced as a cut plug chewing tobacco and not as a cigarette in 1871 by the R.A. Lucky Strike is one of the most well known tobacco and cigarette brands in the world and was extremely popular in the United States, especially from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.

Match Holders / Scratchers / Matchbox Holders.

Lucky strike gold vs red