Hamlet (cigar)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Hamlet
Product typeCigar
Produced byJapan Tobacco
Introduced1964; 60 years ago (1964)

Hamlet is a brand of cigar produced by the Gallaher Group division of Japan Tobacco. First launched in the United Kingdom in 1964, they are now sold in a number of western European markets in both miniatures and regular length, and were frequently described as "the mild cigar" in their former advertising campaigns.

Advertising

A pack of Hamlet cigars in 2011, before plain packaging laws

Hamlet cigars are most famous in the UK for their advertising campaign "

Bach's Air on the G String played by French musician Jacques Loussier
, followed by the slogan "Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet".

Ban on Tobacco Advertising

Since the UK banned all

tobacco advertising on television, cinema and radio in the 1990s,[1] as did much of Europe during that decade, the adverts are no longer aired. The final cinema adverts were initially shown from 1999 with the special slogan "Happiness will always be a cigar called Hamlet,"[2] although they reverted to the original tagline for a period after the UK tobacco industry refused to cease advertising voluntarily. It was eventually forced to do so by the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002.[3]

Factory Closures

The closure of the century-old[4] former J. R. Freeman's factory in Cardiff at which Hamlet's cigars were produced was announced in September 2007, and production transitioned to Gallaher's Ballymena factory by September 2009.[5] The Cardiff factory was demolished the following year.[6] By 2014 plans were afoot to move production again — this time to Lodz, Poland[7][8] — with the Ballymena facility also to be shuttered by 2017.

References

  1. ^ "Tobacco advertising: your questions answered". the Guardian. 2000-11-09. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  2. ^ "UK tobacco industry rejects plea to revive voluntary advertising ban". Marketing Week. 1999-11-04. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  3. ^ "Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002", Wikipedia, 2020-02-19, retrieved 2021-01-08
  4. ^ "JR Freeman Cigars - a location from Victory of the Daleks(DW)". The Locations Guide to Doctor Who, Torchwood, and the Sarah Jane Adventures. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  5. ^ "184 tobacco jobs go at city plant". 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  6. ^ McWatt, Julia (2010-09-23). "Cigar factory demolished". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  7. ^ "Ballymena cigarette factory JTI Gallaher to close". BBC News. 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  8. ^ "JTI Gallaher Relocation". Project Design Engineers. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
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