Old Gold

Old Gold is an American cigarette brand launched in 1926 by the Lorillard Tobacco Company. It became one of Lorillard's principal cigarette lines during the interwar period and was developed through extensive mass-media advertising directed at younger adult consumers. By 1930, a campaign created by Lennen & Mitchell had helped the brand reach approximately 7% of the cigarette market, using lively imagery associated with flappers and the slogan "Not a cough in a carload." During the 1930s, Old Gold was also promoted through radio music programming, helping establish a recognizable connection between the brand and popular entertainment. Lorillard changed the brand's advertising agency relationship in 1941, moving the account to J. Walter Thompson. The new agency introduced the slogan "Something new has been added," while other campaigns continued to emphasize smoothness, mildness, novelty, and personal independence. Old Gold advertising appeared in posters, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, and promotional materials. One notable early endorsement featured baseball player Babe Ruth in a blind taste-style advertisement. In the 1950s, television commercials used dancing cigarette packages and women in white boots performing in time with an Old Gold jingle, making the packaging itself part of the brand's entertainment identity. The product range expanded as cigarette formats changed. Lorillard began marketing a king-size Old Gold alongside the standard version in 1953 and introduced a filtered variety in 1957. In 1958, Old Gold Straights were promoted as having reduced tar and nicotine levels, with a campaign placed in newspapers across more than 140 markets as well as on radio and television. The brand remained a significant part of Lorillard's portfolio, although Kent, Newport, and other labels increasingly received greater advertising support. Measured advertising expenditure for Old Gold was reported at approximately $4 million in 1965, placing it behind Kent and Newport within Lorillard's portfolio at that time. The brand's media environment changed sharply after the United States Congress prohibited tobacco advertising on television and radio in 1970. Lorillard subsequently reduced and ultimately ended regular Old Gold advertising around 1975. Earlier advertising had also attracted regulatory scrutiny. In 1942, the Federal Trade Commission challenged Lorillard's claims that Old Gold cigarettes contained less nicotine and throat-irritating tar and resin than other leading brands, finding the claims insufficiently substantiated. In the 1950s, some Old Gold advertisements responded to emerging public-health concerns about smoking with humorous Halloween imagery and messaging that dismissed medical warnings, a style now viewed as part of the broader history of misleading tobacco promotion. Lorillard was acquired by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 2015. Old Gold subsequently became a relatively difficult-to-find legacy brand rather than a leading national cigarette line. The non-filter version was discontinued in the 2010s, while other Old Gold variants have continued to be manufactured and sold in the United States in limited distribution. The brand's historical importance lies primarily in its long lifespan, its early use of celebrity and entertainment advertising, and its role in the evolution of American cigarette marketing before and after tobacco advertising restrictions.

Old Gold was introduced in 1926 by the Lorillard Tobacco Company in the United States. The brand quickly became one of Lorillard's important products and was promoted through a combination of national advertising, retail marketing, and entertainment media. Its early identity was built around a promise of smoothness and mildness, themes that were common in cigarette advertising but that Old Gold expressed through particularly energetic visual and cultural references. A major early campaign was developed by the advertising agency Lennen & Mitchell. By 1930, the campaign had helped Old Gold achieve an estimated 7% share of the cigarette market. Its imagery featured exuberant flappers and used the slogan "Not a cough in a carload." During the 1930s, the agency extended the brand into radio, placing Old Gold advertising in music programming aimed at younger audiences. The strategy linked the cigarette to modern entertainment and youth-oriented popular culture rather than presenting it solely as a tobacco product. In 1941, Lorillard transferred the Old Gold account to J. Walter Thompson. The agency introduced the slogan "Something new has been added," reflecting the brand's emphasis on novelty and product distinction. Old Gold also used celebrity marketing. A 1920s advertisement featured professional baseball player Babe Ruth endorsing the cigarettes in a blind taste-style presentation and describing their mildness and smoothness. Television became a major part of Old Gold's mid-century promotion. In the 1950s, commercials depicted women in white boots alongside dancing cigarette packages that moved in time with an Old Gold jingle. The unusual choreography gave the package a central role and made the advertising recognizable as entertainment. Lennen & Mitchell also handled television work for the brand during this period. Lorillard expanded the product line in response to changing consumer preferences. A king-size version was advertised beside the standard cigarette beginning in 1953, and a filtered variety was introduced in 1957. In 1958, the company introduced Old Gold Straights, promoted as having lower tar and nicotine levels. The launch was supported by print placements in more than 140 newspaper markets and by radio and television advertising. Old Gold remained a meaningful Lorillard brand, but it faced increasing competition within the company's portfolio. Kent received the largest portion of Lorillard's advertising budget in the mid-1950s and 1960s, while Newport became the company's leading menthol brand. In 1965, measured media spending for Old Gold was reported at roughly $4 million, below the comparable totals for Kent and Newport. In 1967, Grey Advertising was listed among the agencies handling Old Gold, while Lorillard allocated its broader advertising resources across several other brands. The brand's history also includes the regulatory problems associated with cigarette health advertising. In 1942, the Federal Trade Commission complained about a Lorillard advertisement in Reader's Digest that claimed Old Gold cigarettes had lower nicotine and throat-irritating tar and resins than other leading brands. The claims were not adequately substantiated. During the 1950s, Old Gold advertising used Halloween-themed messages to mock or minimize emerging medical warnings about smoking and lung cancer. These advertisements reflected the wider tobacco industry's effort to defend cigarette consumption at a time when scientific and public-health concerns were becoming increasingly prominent. Congress prohibited tobacco advertising on television and radio in 1970. The change removed the media channels that had supported some of Old Gold's most distinctive campaigns. Lorillard stopped advertising the brand around 1975. Old Gold nevertheless remained available as a legacy product. In the 2010s, the non-filter variety was discontinued. Lorillard's acquisition by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 2015 transferred ownership and manufacturing responsibility to R. J. Reynolds. Old Gold has continued to be manufactured and sold in the United States, although it is comparatively difficult to find and no longer occupies the market position it held during its earlier decades.

• 2015

  Ownership passes to R. J. Reynolds

  [1]Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  R. J. Reynolds acquired Lorillard, bringing Old Gold under its ownership.

• 1975

  Regular Old Gold advertising ends

  [1]Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Lorillard stopped advertising Old Gold around this time.

• 1970

  Tobacco advertising removed from television and radio

  [1]Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  A United States congressional ban ended tobacco advertising on television and radio, disrupting Old Gold's established media strategy.

• 1958

  Old Gold Straights launched

  [1]Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Lorillard introduced Old Gold Straights and promoted the variant with reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine messaging.

• 1957

  Filtered Old Gold introduced

  [1]Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  A filtered version was added to the Old Gold range.

• 1953

  King-size Old Gold introduced

  [1]Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Lorillard began offering a king-size version alongside the standard Old Gold cigarette.

• 1941

  Advertising account moves to J. Walter Thompson

  [1]Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Lorillard transferred the Old Gold advertising account to J. Walter Thompson, which introduced a new brand slogan.

• 1930

  Brand reaches an estimated 7% market share

  [1]Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  An energetic Lennen & Mitchell campaign helped Old Gold become a substantial cigarette brand, with an estimated 7% share of the market.

• 1926

  Old Gold introduced by Lorillard

  [1]Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  The Lorillard Tobacco Company launched Old Gold in the United States.

Historically positioned as a smooth, mild, accessible American cigarette brand, Old Gold used entertainment-led advertising, celebrity endorsement, novelty packaging, and claims about reduced harshness or reduced tar and nicotine. In its later life it became a legacy cigarette brand with limited availability rather than a leading mass-market offering.

• Cigarettes · 1926

  Old Gold

  The original Old Gold cigarette line, introduced by Lorillard in 1926. It was historically marketed around mildness, smoothness, and a distinctive entertainment-oriented brand identity. The standard product served as the foundation for later size and filter extensions.

• King-size cigarettes · 1953

  Old Gold King Size

  A longer-format version introduced by Lorillard in 1953 and advertised alongside the standard Old Gold cigarette. Its launch reflected the growing importance of expanded cigarette formats in the American market.

• Filtered cigarettes · 1957

  Old Gold Filtered

  A filtered Old Gold variety added in 1957 as filtered cigarettes gained market importance. The product extended the brand into a format increasingly associated with changing consumer expectations and tobacco marketing practices.

• Cigarettes · 1958

  Old Gold Straights

  Introduced in 1958, Old Gold Straights were supported by a large print, radio, and television campaign and promoted with reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine claims. The variant represented the brand's response to growing consumer and public discussion of cigarette strength and health concerns.

• 1950

  Advertising minimized emerging evidence about smoking risks

  Some Old Gold advertising used jokes and Halloween-themed messaging to reject or trivialize medical warnings about smoking and lung cancer. The material formed part of the broader tobacco industry's defensive response to public-health research.

  Source

• 1942

  FTC complaint over unsupported health-related advertising claims

  The Federal Trade Commission challenged Lorillard after Old Gold advertising claimed that the cigarettes contained less nicotine and throat-irritating tar and resins than other leading brands. The claims were considered unsubstantiated and misleading.

  Source

Read more

• 1958Old Gold Straights launch campaign

  United States

  The Old Gold Straights launch used newspapers in more than 140 markets together with radio and television placements. Its messaging focused on reduced tar and nicotine levels.

  Outcome. The campaign positioned Old Gold Straights as a response to changing preferences for cigarettes described as lower in smoke constituents.

  Source
• 1950Dancing cigarette packages

  United States

  Television commercials featured dancing Old Gold packages and performers in white boots moving to an Old Gold jingle.

  Outcome. The campaign gave the packaging and jingle a prominent role in the brand's television identity.

  Source
• 1950Halloween health-warning advertising

  United States

  Old Gold advertisements used Halloween imagery and humorous language to dismiss or minimize medical warnings about smoking and lung cancer.

  Outcome. The campaign is now regarded as part of the historical record of tobacco advertising that downplayed smoking-related health risks.

  Source
• 1930Not a cough in a carload

  United States

  Lennen & Mitchell used flapper imagery and a slogan emphasizing the cigarette's supposed mildness and lack of harshness. The campaign helped Old Gold reach an estimated 7% market share by 1930.

  Outcome. The campaign made Old Gold one of Lorillard's leading products during the early 1930s.

  Source
• 1930Old Gold radio music programming

  United States

  During the 1930s, Old Gold advertising was placed in radio music programs aimed at younger audiences, associating the brand with popular entertainment.

  Outcome. Radio helped extend Old Gold's youth-oriented positioning beyond print advertising.

  Source

• 2015

  Transfer the brand to R. J. ReynoldsM&A

  Background

  R. J. Reynolds acquired the Lorillard tobacco business.

  Action taken

  Ownership and manufacturing responsibility for Old Gold moved to R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

  Aftermath

  Old Gold continued as a relatively niche and difficult-to-find legacy brand in the United States.

  Source

• 1970

  Adapt to the tobacco broadcast advertising banStrategy

  Background

  United States legislation prohibited tobacco advertising on television and radio.

  Action taken

  Lorillard lost access to two of Old Gold's principal mass-media channels and subsequently reduced regular promotion of the brand.

  Aftermath

  Old Gold advertising ended around 1975, contributing to the brand's later lower market visibility.

  Source

• 1958

  Launch Old Gold StraightsProduct launch

  Background

  Public discussion of cigarette tar, nicotine, and health effects was increasingly influencing tobacco product marketing.

  Action taken

  Lorillard launched Old Gold Straights and promoted the variant as having reduced tar and nicotine levels.

  Aftermath

  The variant gave Old Gold a product positioned around lower reported smoke constituents, although similar claims had already attracted regulatory scrutiny in the category.

  Source

• 1957

  Add a filtered varietyProduct launch

  Background

  Filtered cigarettes were becoming increasingly prominent in the market.

  Action taken

  Lorillard added a filtered Old Gold cigarette.

  Aftermath

  Old Gold participated in the industry's shift toward filtered formats.

  Source

• 1953

  Expand into king-size formatOther

  Background

  Longer cigarette formats were becoming an important product-development route in the American cigarette market.

  Action taken

  Lorillard introduced king-size Old Gold alongside the standard product.

  Aftermath

  The brand gained an additional format for retail and advertising presentation.

  Source

• 1941

  Change advertising agency and refresh brand messagingStrategy

  Background

  Lorillard sought a new advertising approach for one of its leading cigarette brands.

  Action taken

  The Old Gold account was moved to J. Walter Thompson, which introduced the slogan "Something new has been added."

  Aftermath

  The change continued Old Gold's emphasis on novelty and distinctiveness in mass-media advertising.

  Source

1. 1Old Gold (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org