Friday, October 17, 2008

Free cigarettes, door to door



One of those little tidbits of history that now seem almost unbelievable.

I had an interview this morning with an older woman, who related how she began smoking.

She matriculated at Salem College in 1951. Just inside the dorm door was a series of cubbyholes where students received their mail. And once a week, someone from the marketing department at nearby R. J. Reynolds Tobacco put a pack of free cigarettes in each slot. And you thought marketing didn't work.

No comments: