“In 1930 fallen market shares and the Great Depression gave R.J. Reynolds an opportunity to spark change.

They began to experiment with fear marketing, claiming, “More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarettes.” Sounds healthy to me. In a time when health impacts were less known, the message created subconscious fear: if doctors only smoke Camels, should I be worried about my brand?

Lucky Strike countered with, “20,679 physicians say, ‘Luckies are less irritating.’” It didn’t matter. By this time R.J. Reynolds was a step ahead. In 1933 Camel started using athletes to associate their image with vitality.

Superstar jocks endorsed,

“They don’t get your win,”

“It takes healthy nerves… to win the World Series,” and

“21 out of 23 St. Louis Cardinals Smoke Camels!”

By 1935, the once-aging giant had reclaimed the #1 position.