Seven Stars (cigarette)

Seven Stars (セブンスター) is a brand of cigarettes produced by Japan Tobacco.

History

Seven Stars was launched on February 1, 1969, as the first cigarette with a charcoal filter, and was created in response to customer demands for low-tar, menthol, and D-spec (low smoke smell) products.[1][2] The brand uses domestically blended tobacco (mainly leaf tobacco), and is popular amongst all Japan Tobacco brands. From 1975 to 1977, it was the best-selling brand in Japan. Later, was ranked 2nd in sales following the 1977 launch of Mild Seven. From the first quarter of 2008 until 2016, the Seven Stars brand returned to best-selling status. Various nicknames for Seven Stars cigarettes include and.

Changes in the cigarettes' design have been made several times, but the 20-cigarette box has been largely unchanged since launch. 1993 saw a change in size to king size, some changes were made to the logo on the packs in 1999, and in early 2012, new inks and metallic finishes were applied to the packaging.

Marketing

A tree used on a Seven Stars package became a scenic spot representative of the hills of Biei, Hokkaido.[3]

In the mid-1990s and early 2000s, the brand was promoted by actors Etsushi Toyokawa, Tetta Sugimoto, and Shōei. From 2007 to 2011, music acts Boom Boom Satellites, The Lowbrows, and ripvanwinkle also participated in promoting the brand, including as part of magazine advertisements portraying them as "men who resonate with Seven Stars" (セブンスターと響きあう男たち).

Slogans

Seven Stars has used multiple different slogans, among them:

Slogans for discontinued products include:

"Indelible Man" (消せない男) (1996)
"Silent Smoke" (1998–2001)
"Seven Stars Man" (セブンスターの男) (2003)
"Exalted, Quietly." (静かに、高ぶる.) (2007–2011)
"Just one thing: a certain taste." (ただひとつ、確かな味わい.) for original variants
"Unwavering umami." (ゆずれない、うまさ.) for medium variants
"Polished umami." (研ぎ澄まされた、うまさ.) for light variants
"The choice is mellow." (極めたのは、芳醇.) for Real Rich variants
"The choice is richness." (極めたのは、濃厚.) for Real Smoke variants
"Menthol You Can Taste" (味わえるメンソール), "Solid, Super-Menthol" (ゆるぎない、強メンソール), and "The flavour of ripe leaves, with menthol." (メンソールに、完熟葉の旨みを.) for menthol variants
"Superfine. Menthol is the sole focus." (極細. メンソール、一点集中.) for Cutting Menthol variants
"Japan's only. The sharp choice, charcoal menthol." (日本唯一. 鋭さ極めた、チャコールメンソール.) when the charcoal-filtered menthol variant was first released

"Black with a crisp, brilliant taste and an umami that stands out." (冴えるキレ味、うまさ際立つブラック.) for Black Impact
"Piercing Super-Menthol." (突き刺さる、強メンソール.) for Light Menthol
"Crisp flavour. Solid taste." (冴えるキレ味. ソリッドテイスト.) for Solid
"Extreme coldness. Alaska Menthol." (過激な冷たさ. アラスカ・メンソール.) for Alaska Menthol
"PLAY! SNAP" for the Snap Box

Markets

Seven Stars cigarettes are mainly sold in Japan, but also were or still are sold in Singapore, Austria, Ukraine and Afghanistan.[4][5][6][7]

type	Cigarette
currentowner	Japan Tobacco
producedby	Japan Tobacco
origin	Japan
markets	See Markets
tagline	See Slogans
footnotes	Carcinogenicity: IARC group 1
website	https://sevenstars.clubjt.jp/

Seven Stars (cigarette)

History

Marketing

Slogans

Markets

Sponsorship

Products

See also

References