Lucky Strike is an American brand of cigarette owned by the British American Tobacco groups. Often referred to as "Luckies", Lucky Strike was the top selling cigarette in the United States during the 1930s. Lucky Strikes now have developed a "cult" following, with many people that smoked Lucky Strikes in their youth continuing to seek them out.
In Fury, unfiltered Lucky Strike cigarettes are commonly seen being smoked by the Allied Soldiers. This is factually accurate, similar to how Lucky Strikes made appearances in another period movie, The Shawshank Redemption.
History and Description[]
The message "L.S.M.F.T." ("Lucky Strike means fine tobacco") was introduced on the package in 1945. Lucky Strikes were one of the brands included in the C rations provided to US combat troops during the second world war. Each C ration of the time included, among other items, nine cigarettes of varying brands because at the time top military brass thought that tobacco was essential to the morale of soldiers fighting on the front lines. Other cigarette brands included in the C rations were Camel, Chesterfield, Old Gold, and Raleigh. The practice of including cigarettes in field rations continued during the Korean and Vietnam wars, ending around 1975 or 1976 among the growing knowledge that smoking caused various kinds of health problems.
As a result of British American Tobacco plc's buying out American Tobacco Company in 1976, Lucky Strike came under control of BAT. The company acquired Formula 1s Tyrrell Racing team in 1997 and rebranded it as British American Racing the following year, sponsoring the team with its Lucky Strike and stablemate 555 brands. The team was bought outright by partners Honda by 2006, though Lucky Strike continued to sponsor the team until the end of that year.
In 1978 and 1994, export rights and U.S. rights were purchased by Brown & Williamson. In the 1960s, filtered styles were launched in addition to a mentholated version called "Lucky Strike Green". This time "Green" was referring to menthol and not to the overall package color. In late 2006, both the Full Flavored and Light filtered varieties of Lucky Strike cigarettes were discontinued in North America. However, Lucky Strike continued to have marketing and distribution support in territories controlled by British American Tobacco as a global drive brand. In addition, R. J. Reynolds continues to market the original, non-filter Lucky Strikes in the United States. Lucky Strikes currently have a small base of smokers.
In 2007, a new packaging of Lucky Strikes was released, with a two-way opening which split seven cigarettes from the rest. In the same year, the company used the world's smallest man, He Pingping, in their ad campaigns. In 2009, Lucky Strike Silver (the brand marketed as lighter) changed their UK packs from the quintessential red design to blue, albeit with a red teaser outer covering the packet.