Lucky Strike - Definition and Overview

Lucky Strike is a brand of cigarettes. The brand was first introduced in 1871 as a smoking mixture by R.A. Patterson in Richmond, Virginia. In 1916 it was introduced as a finished cigarette in a dark green pack by The American Tobacco Company.

The pack was changed from green to white in 1942. In a famous advertising campaign that used the slogan "Lucky Strike Green has gone to war," the company claimed the change was made because the copper used in the green colour was needed for World War II. This claim, however, has been debunked: The change was made to attract female smokers.

In 1917 the slogan "It's Toasted" was used. The slogan simply described the manufacturing process. Also the message "L.S./M.F.T." (Lucky Strike means fine tobacco) was introduced on the package. In 1978 and 1994, export rights and US rights were purchased by Brown & Williamson. In 1996, filtered styles was launched in San Francisco, but it wasn't until 1999 they were available all over USA.

The Lucky Strike Logo was created by Raymond Loewy a famous industrial designer. Loewy also created the Coca-Cola Logo.