Belmont (cigarette)

The Belmont brand is widespread throughout the world, being manufactured by various companies in numerous markets. It is especially popular in South and Central America.[3] In Venezuela, it was introduced in the mid-1960s by "Cigarrera Biggott Sucre CA", where it became the most popular brand smoked in the early 1980s, holding some 62.4% of the market in 1982.

Belmont is also produced in Guatemala (by "Tabacalera Nacional"), Panama (by "Tabacalera Istmena"), Honduras (by "Hondurena"), Nicaragua, and Costa Rica (where it was introduced by "Republic Tobacco" in 1982). It was also introduced in Finland by Amer-Tupakka circa 1975. In Finland, the cigarettes were manufactured by Philip Morris up to 2004 under an exclusive license from Amer tobacco Ltd., until the company gave up its tobacco business and began to concentrate on sports equipment under the name of Amer Sports.[4][5]

In Canada, Belmont was introduced in the early 1960s with a charcoal filter tip by "Benson & Hedges (Canada) Ltd." (which became "Rothmans Benson & Hedges Ltd." in 1986). The brand was renamed Belmont Milds in 1975, and remained so until 2007, when such terms on tobacco packaging were discontinued. An extra light version (known as Belmont Silver) was introduced around that time. In 2009, a slim version of Belmonts were introduced, called Belmont Edge. This brand has rarely (if ever) been promoted in traditional advertising. They are sold today as a premium brand. It was also produced in the United States briefly in the 1960s by Philip Morris USA.

In 1990, before the implementation of the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act, Philip Morris Australia launched a new brand, Belmont, to compete with Rothmans' Winfield, "to ensure a balanced aggressive portfolio entering the print ban era". Belmont’s launch plan was classic integrated marketing, combining press inserts, point-of-sale, distribution, and aggressive direct marketing by mail to Winfield smokers, as well as premiums in convenience stores and retail outlets as incentives for both retailers and customers. Thirty hostesses in hotels and clubs offered samples and trade-ups (a free pack of Belmont cigarettes for smokers in exchange for the pack of competitor brand being smoked), playing "a critical role within the tactical mix in gaining trial amongst targeted opposition smokers, building awareness and creating word of mouth communication". Reports on the brand’s launch were faxed directly to British American Tobacco (UK and Exports) and to Biggott, the Venezuela-based manufacturer of Belmont cigarettes, the main smuggled brand. As well, Belmonts were spotted in several stores in Serbia in June, 2009, with all English packaging.[6]

In Canada, Benson & Hedges (Canada) Ltd. created various poster advertisements in English and French to promote the Belmont brand.[7][8]

In the 1970s and 1980s, Franco Rubartelli produced various TV ads to promote Belmont cigarettes in Venezuela. The commercials focused on various young adults having fun at the beach, playing Cowboys and Indians and smoking Belmonts. The commercials mainly focused on the "mildness" of the cigarette.[9][10][11][12][13] A TV ad was also made in the 1980s to promote Belmont in Brazil.[14]

Cigarette cards were included in Chilean Belmont packs to announce a new pack design.[15]

Belmont is sold in the following countries: Canada, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Paraguay, Finland, Spain, Egypt, South Africa and Israel.[6][16][17]

• Cigarette
• Tobacco smoking