Kim

Kim was a German cigarette brand distinguished by its unusually slim, approximately 9.5-centimetre format. The brand originated in the 1940s under Oriental-Kim Cigaretten-Werk G.m.b.H. and was reintroduced in 1970 by British American Tobacco Germany. Its presentation and advertising emphasized slenderness, elegance, individuality, and a style associated particularly with women smokers. As a result, Kim was sometimes described as a woman's cigarette, although the brand's central commercial distinction was its slim physical format rather than a separate tobacco category. The correct product designation was Kim Slimsize. The best-known variants were Kim Red Slimsize and Kim Blue Slimsize. Their packaging used a predominantly white box, with a wave motif near the lower portion. The wave was orange-red on the Red Slimsize pack and turquoise-blue on the Blue Slimsize pack, providing the principal visual differentiation between the varieties. The format, white packaging, and fashion-oriented communications gave Kim a distinctive identity within the German cigarette market. Kim's advertising language changed over time but consistently connected the brand with sophistication, slimness, and a conversational or socially expressive personality. Recorded slogans included “Pleasure, which suits us” and “Lean and racy head up embers” in 1970, “Talk a little - Kim a little” in 1971, “Too chic for a man's hands” in 1972, and “Not like all the others” in 1988. These messages positioned the cigarette as stylish and differentiated, while also reflecting period-specific gendered marketing conventions. Germany was the principal market. The brand was also reported in a range of European markets, including Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Belarus. Additional markets listed in reference material were Australia and Cuba. The available historical record identifies BAT Germany as the manufacturer or reintroducing company, but it does not establish a separate current owner, corporate headquarters, or a detailed distribution structure for each market. Kim remained associated with the slimsize segment until it was discontinued in 2009. No active product portfolio, current website, current management team, financial information, or post-discontinuation relaunch is established in the supplied sources. Accordingly, Kim is best classified as a defunct product brand rather than an active tobacco business. Its historical significance lies in its early postwar German origins, its 1970 BAT Germany reintroduction, its recognizable slim format and packaging, and its targeted positioning within the market for fashion-oriented cigarettes.

Kim began as a German cigarette brand associated with Oriental-Kim Cigaretten-Werk G.m.b.H. in the 1940s. The supplied historical record does not provide a precise founding year, but places the original creation in that decade. The brand was subsequently reintroduced in 1970 by British American Tobacco Germany, marking the beginning of its documented modern commercial phase. The reintroduced product used a slim cigarette format approximately 9.5 centimetres long. This physical design was the defining feature of Kim and helped separate it from conventional cigarette brands. The slim profile also shaped the brand's marketing identity. Kim was frequently associated with women smokers and was sometimes referred to as a woman's cigarette, reflecting the way tobacco companies used cigarette dimensions, appearance, and gendered communications to segment the market. Kim's brand mark was protected in Germany in 1972. During the 1970s, its advertising emphasized pleasure, slenderness, style, and social interaction. The slogans documented for 1970–1972 included “Pleasure, which suits us,” “Lean and racy head up embers,” “Talk a little - Kim a little,” and “Too chic for a man's hands.” In 1988, the slogan “Not like all the others” continued the theme of distinctiveness. The messages show a consistent effort to present Kim as an elegant alternative to standard-format cigarettes. The product was sold primarily in Germany but also appeared in several European markets: Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Belarus. Australia and Cuba were also identified as markets for the brand. The available material does not establish whether every listed market carried the same variants or whether distribution continued for the same length of time in each country. Kim's principal variants were Kim Red Slimsize and Kim Blue Slimsize. Their packs were predominantly white, with a wave design near the bottom. Red Slimsize used an orange-red wave, while Blue Slimsize used a turquoise-blue wave. This restrained design reinforced the brand's clean, slender, and fashion-conscious image. The brand was discontinued in 2009. No evidence in the supplied references indicates a subsequent relaunch or an active successor range under the Kim name. The historical account therefore ends with Kim as a discontinued cigarette brand that occupied a specialized slimsize position in the German-led European tobacco market.

• 2009

  Discontinuation

  [1]Kim (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Kim was discontinued after operating primarily in Germany and in a number of additional international markets.

• 1972

  German trademark protection

  [1]Kim (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  The Kim mark was protected in Germany, according to the historical account.

• 1970

  Reintroduction by BAT Germany

  [1]Kim (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  British American Tobacco Germany reintroduced Kim as a distinctive slim cigarette brand.

• Origins under Oriental-Kim Cigaretten-Werk

  [1]Kim (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Kim was originally founded in the 1940s by Oriental-Kim Cigaretten-Werk G.m.b.H.; the sources do not provide a more precise year.

A fashion-oriented German slim cigarette brand positioned around a distinctive slender format, elegant white packaging, individuality, and historically female-focused advertising.

• Slim cigarette

  Kim Red Slimsize

  Kim Red Slimsize was one of the brand's principal cigarette variants. It used the approximately 9.5-centimetre slimsize format associated with Kim and was identified by a predominantly white pack with an orange-red wave motif near the lower section. The variant formed part of the brand's fashion-oriented portfolio and was marketed through messages emphasizing elegance, pleasure, and difference. It was discontinued when the broader Kim brand was withdrawn in 2009.

• Slim cigarette

  Kim Blue Slimsize

  Kim Blue Slimsize was the blue-coded principal variant in the Kim range. Its packaging followed the brand's white-box design but used a turquoise-blue wave motif to distinguish it from Red Slimsize. The product shared Kim's slim physical format and its positioning around stylish individuality. The supplied material does not provide a launch date or detailed tobacco specifications. It was discontinued along with the Kim brand in 2009.

• 1988Not like all the others

  Germany

  The later slogan focused on distinctiveness and framed Kim as an alternative to conventional cigarette brands.

  Source
• 1972Too chic for a man's hands

  Germany

  The slogan used explicitly gendered language to reinforce Kim's period positioning as a stylish cigarette associated with women smokers.

  Source
• 1971Talk a little - Kim a little

  Germany

  This slogan connected the brand with conversation and social interaction while retaining Kim's distinctive name-based identity.

  Source
• 1970Early slimsize positioning

  Germany

  Kim's early advertising presented the brand through pleasure, slimness, and a fashionable identity. Recorded slogans included “Pleasure, which suits us” and “Lean and racy head up embers.”

  Source

1. 1Kim (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org