Lark (cigarette)
Encyclopedia
Lark is a brand of cigarettes introduced in 1963 by Liggett & Myers and notable for its charcoal filter and past advertising campaigns, among which was one featuring people on the street being asked to "Show us your Lark pack".
Liggett & Myers underwent several corporate name changes over the ensuing years but kept the Lark brand in their product mix until 1998, when Liggett Vector Brands Inc. sold Lark, along with the L&M
& Chesterfield
brands, for $300 million to Philip Morris Companies Inc., later known as the Altria Group
. (The sale involved only domestic rights; Philip Morris
already owned the international rights to the three brands, which it had purchased in the late 1970s.) As of 2008, Lark continues to be manufactured and sold by Philip Morris USA
, a subsidiary of Altria Group
.
Since its introduction and despite several prominent advertising campaigns, Lark has never held a large share of the U.S. cigarette market. As of 2008, the brand has less than 1% of the domestic market share. It is extremely popular in Japan, however.
The Lark Soft Pack contains the following ingredients (listed in descending order by weight) and tar and nicotine content:
Lark which is sold in Japan:
Although Philip Morris continues to promote the brand heavily in Japan, it receives little to no domestic advertising. This would explain why its share of the U.S. market has declined over the years since experts generally agree that cigarette brands usually lose market share when they are no longer promoted.
Past advertising campaigns, however, have been conspicuous. As expected, much of the advertising, particularly that in print, centered on the charcoal filter and its effect on taste. Probably the most extensively run and best remembered advertisement, however, was a television spot from the 1960s in which an off-screen narrator exhorted those on the street to “show us your Lark pack.” Meanwhile, throughout the piece the William Tell Overture
blared while the words “have a Lark, have a Lark, have a Lark today” were sung to the overture’s melody. Everyone it seemed had a pack of Larks and was only too happy to show them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zC3150Vz3o
Another notable advertisement campaign from the early 1970s featured a hot-air balloon with the Lark brand name and colors, as seen here
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_L8BTRutV0uk/SFpVOZtTN6I/AAAAAAAAEro/gvwSIg4gbdI/s1600-h/Lark+Cigarette+Ad+1972+cookout.jpg and here http://www.goantiques.com/scripts/images,id,1174776.html. The balloon was a symbol for the "smoothness" of Lark cigarettes. http://www.brandhot.de/zigaretten/lark-cigarettes-smoothness-you-can-taste/196/
Lark was also advertised in the 1980s with James Bond style appearances by Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore. Future Bond Pierce Brosnan also advertised Larks in two commercials that aired only in Japan.
According to Anne Landman with the American Lung Association
of Colorado, "The technique used in the marketing of Lark through hospitals and the medical profession was exactly similar to that used in the marketing of Kent
in 1952." Ms. Landman's research, which she began in 1998, further reveals that Liggett & Myer's marketing campaign several months before the release of the Surgeon General's 1964 Report on Smoking and Health was directed at creating the rumor that medical scientists endorsed Lark as the safest cigarette. This marketing technique is credited for Lark's sales surpassing those of Kent in the Buffalo
area and nearly doing so in the Houston area.
Perhaps the biggest controversy about the reputed safety of Lark cigarettes was created by the publication of It Is Safe to Smoke by scientist Lloyd Mallan. Mallan recounts the findings of numerous scientists who all conclude based on the research conducted that smoking can be rendered harmless or considerablely less harmful if the cigarette is equipped with a charcoal filter. The only other brand in the United States at the time with a charcoal filter was Tareyton
, whose filter had a different structure from Lark and was deemed to be less effective. Hawthorne Publishing, however, took the book off the market in 1967 after a congressional investigation was launched into allegations that the tobacco industry had financed it.
Subsequent research questioned whether the charcoal filter might have actually made Lark a more dangerous cigarette. A paper published in March 1997 by J.L. Pauly, et al., offered the following conclusion:
Brand history and ownership
In 1963 Liggett & Myers introduced the Lark brand with its trademark charcoal filter in an effort to halt a five-year downward drift in sales. The distinguishing feature of the brand, both in terms of physical characteristics and taste was the 3-piece "Keith" filter, the middle section of which contains small charcoal granules, which reportedly reduces the harshness of the cigarette's smoke.Liggett & Myers underwent several corporate name changes over the ensuing years but kept the Lark brand in their product mix until 1998, when Liggett Vector Brands Inc. sold Lark, along with the L&M
L&M
Created by the company Liggett & Myers in 1953, L&M is a brand of cigarettes produced by Altria Group, Inc. . "L&M" is one of the earliest, perhaps the earliest brand to have a filter that was not a one sided filter...
& Chesterfield
Chesterfield (cigarette)
Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette made by Altria. It was one of the most recognized brands of the early 20th century, but sales have declined steadily over the years. It was named for Chesterfield County, Virginia. Chesterfield is still being made today; it is still popular in Europe, but has...
brands, for $300 million to Philip Morris Companies Inc., later known as the Altria Group
Altria Group
Altria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...
. (The sale involved only domestic rights; Philip Morris
Philip Morris International
Philip Morris International is an international tobacco company, with products sold in over 160 countries. In 2007, it held a 15.6% share of the international cigarette market outside of the USA and reported revenues net of excise taxes of $22.8 billion and operating income of $8.9 billion.Until...
already owned the international rights to the three brands, which it had purchased in the late 1970s.) As of 2008, Lark continues to be manufactured and sold by Philip Morris USA
Philip Morris USA
Philip Morris USA is the United States tobacco division of Altria Group, Inc. Philip Morris USA brands include Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson and Hedges, Merit, Parliament, Alpine, Basic, Cambridge, Bucks, Dave's, Chesterfield, Collector's Choice, Commander, English Ovals, Lark, L&M, Players and...
, a subsidiary of Altria Group
Altria Group
Altria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...
.
Since its introduction and despite several prominent advertising campaigns, Lark has never held a large share of the U.S. cigarette market. As of 2008, the brand has less than 1% of the domestic market share. It is extremely popular in Japan, however.
Packaging and ingredients
Lark is currently sold in the following packages:- Lark Red Pack (Full Flavor) - Soft: Kings and 100s
- Lark White Pack (Lights) - Soft: Kings and 100s
The Lark Soft Pack contains the following ingredients (listed in descending order by weight) and tar and nicotine content:
- TobaccoTobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
- Water
- Sugars (Sucrose and/or Invert Sugar and/or High Fructose Corn Syrup)
- Propylene Glycol
- Glycerol
- Licorice Extract
- Diammonium Phosphate
- Ammonium Hydroxide
- Cocoa and Cocoa Products
- Carob Bean and Extract
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- TarTar (tobacco residue)Tar is the common name for the resinous partially combusted and healed particulate matter produced by the burning of tobacco and other plant material in the act of smoking. Tar is purportedly the most destructive component in habitual tobacco smoking, accumulating in the smoker's lungs over time...
(12 mg) - NicotineNicotineNicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants that constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots and accumulation occurring in the leaves...
(1.0 mg)
Lark which is sold in Japan:
- Lark Full Flavor(Soft/Box/100's Box)
- Lark Milds(Soft/Box/100's Box)
- Lark Classic Milds(Box)
- Lark Super Milds(Box/100's Box)
- Lark Extra Milds(Box/100's Box)
- Lark Ultra One(Box/100's Box)
- Lark Menthol X(Box)
- Lark Milds Menthol(Box)
- Lark Super Menthol(Box)
- Lark Ultra Menthol(Box/100's Box)
- Lark Mint Splash(Box(Menthol+Mint Capsule))
Advertising history
From its introduction in 1963, the brand came in a maroon-colored package with white print (the trademark shield was initially white but was soon changed to gold along with some of the other graphics). And for most of the brand’s life it has sported the motto “Richly Rewarding, yet Uncommonly Smooth.”Although Philip Morris continues to promote the brand heavily in Japan, it receives little to no domestic advertising. This would explain why its share of the U.S. market has declined over the years since experts generally agree that cigarette brands usually lose market share when they are no longer promoted.
Past advertising campaigns, however, have been conspicuous. As expected, much of the advertising, particularly that in print, centered on the charcoal filter and its effect on taste. Probably the most extensively run and best remembered advertisement, however, was a television spot from the 1960s in which an off-screen narrator exhorted those on the street to “show us your Lark pack.” Meanwhile, throughout the piece the William Tell Overture
William Tell Overture
The William Tell Overture is the instrumental introduction to the opera Guillaume Tell by Gioachino Rossini. William Tell premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he went into semi-retirement, although he continued to compose cantatas, sacred music and secular vocal...
blared while the words “have a Lark, have a Lark, have a Lark today” were sung to the overture’s melody. Everyone it seemed had a pack of Larks and was only too happy to show them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zC3150Vz3o
Another notable advertisement campaign from the early 1970s featured a hot-air balloon with the Lark brand name and colors, as seen here
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_L8BTRutV0uk/SFpVOZtTN6I/AAAAAAAAEro/gvwSIg4gbdI/s1600-h/Lark+Cigarette+Ad+1972+cookout.jpg and here http://www.goantiques.com/scripts/images,id,1174776.html. The balloon was a symbol for the "smoothness" of Lark cigarettes. http://www.brandhot.de/zigaretten/lark-cigarettes-smoothness-you-can-taste/196/
Lark was also advertised in the 1980s with James Bond style appearances by Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore. Future Bond Pierce Brosnan also advertised Larks in two commercials that aired only in Japan.
Parodies
- On George CarlinGeorge CarlinGeorge Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
's album FM & AM, Carlin insinuates that "Show us your Lark" is a hidden sexual innuendo; he remarks, "Don't try that in the bowery; those guys will show you their LarksExhibitionismExhibitionism refers to a desire or compulsion to expose parts of one's body – specifically the genitals or buttocks of a man or woman, or the breasts of a woman – in a public or semi-public circumstance, in crowds or groups of friends or acquaintances, or to strangers...
, man."
- A parody of the commercial was created by comedian Stan FrebergStan FrebergStanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
for Jeno's Pizza RollsTotino'sTotino's and Jeno's are brands of frozen pizza owned by General Mills.Rose Totino created take-out and later in 1962, Totino's frozen pizza, eventually becoming a vice-president of Pillsbury Company. Totino's was acquired by General Mills, with the purchase of Pillsbury...
. In it, tuxedo-clad partygoers are asked to show their packages of frozen Jeno's Pizza Rolls and they do. Ultimately a Lark executive complains about the use of the music followed by the appearance of the Lone RangerClayton MooreClayton Moore was an American actor best known for playing the fictional western character The Lone Ranger from 1949–1951 and 1954-1957 on the television series of the same name.-Early years:...
and TontoJay SilverheelsJay Silverheels was a Canadian Mohawk First Nations actor. He was well known for his role as Tonto, the faithful American Indian companion of the Lone Ranger in a long-running American television series. -Early life:...
asking the Lark executive about the same thing.
- A similar parody was presented in a fake commercial for Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
during its first season, where the announcer urged everyone to "show us your guns", in a similar manner as the Lark commercial, minus the singing. The parody first aired on SNL's very first episode on October 11, 1975.
Health concerns
Because of its unique activated charcoal filter, from its inception Lark has been the subject of inquiry into whether it is safer or more harmful than cigarettes in general.According to Anne Landman with the American Lung Association
American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is a voluntary health organization whose mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.-History:...
of Colorado, "The technique used in the marketing of Lark through hospitals and the medical profession was exactly similar to that used in the marketing of Kent
Kent (cigarette)
Kent is a brand of cigarettes. Kent's Micronite filter was introduced shortly after the publication of a series of articles in Reader's Digest in 1952 entitled "Cancer by the Carton", that scared American consumers into seeking out a filter brand at a time when most brands were filterless...
in 1952." Ms. Landman's research, which she began in 1998, further reveals that Liggett & Myer's marketing campaign several months before the release of the Surgeon General's 1964 Report on Smoking and Health was directed at creating the rumor that medical scientists endorsed Lark as the safest cigarette. This marketing technique is credited for Lark's sales surpassing those of Kent in the Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
area and nearly doing so in the Houston area.
Perhaps the biggest controversy about the reputed safety of Lark cigarettes was created by the publication of It Is Safe to Smoke by scientist Lloyd Mallan. Mallan recounts the findings of numerous scientists who all conclude based on the research conducted that smoking can be rendered harmless or considerablely less harmful if the cigarette is equipped with a charcoal filter. The only other brand in the United States at the time with a charcoal filter was Tareyton
Tareyton
Tareyton is a brand of cigarettes originally manufactured by the American Tobacco Company. It began as a variation of Herbert Tareyton cork-tipped non-filter cigarettes . As filters gained in popularity in the late 1950s, Tareyton was created in 1954 as the filtered version of Herbert Tareyton,...
, whose filter had a different structure from Lark and was deemed to be less effective. Hawthorne Publishing, however, took the book off the market in 1967 after a congressional investigation was launched into allegations that the tobacco industry had financed it.
Subsequent research questioned whether the charcoal filter might have actually made Lark a more dangerous cigarette. A paper published in March 1997 by J.L. Pauly, et al., offered the following conclusion:
Charcoal granules are incorporated into cigarette filters to aid in removing toxins in cigarette smoke. In studies of Lark, a popular American cigarette with a charcoal filter, charcoal granules were observed on the filter surface, and were released from the filter when the cigarettes were smoked. During smoking, the toxin-containing charcoal granules are inhaled or ingested. The specific adverse health effects of inhaling or ingesting carbon granules have not been addressed; nevertheless, the smoker, as an educated consumer, should be informed of the possible health risks.
External links
- http://www.smokershistory.com/Fairytal.htm
- http://www.howstuffworks.com/question209.htm
- http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:9176984
- http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/NN/Views/Exhibit/narrative/smoking.html