Red Man
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- For the rap performer, see Redman.
- For the Japanese television series, see Redman (TV series).
Red Man is a leading brand of chewing tobacco in the United States, produced since 1904.[1] Red Man has traditionally come as leaf tobacco, in contrast to twist chewing tobacco or the ground tobacco used in snuff, and became a leader in that form of dental tobacco. It is made by the Pinkerton Tobacco company of Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1985, Pinkerton was acquired by a Swedish corporation and (after further corporate reshuffling) the Red Man brand now falls under the umbrella of the Swedish Match company, which in turn is owned primarily by Volvo and the Swedish state.[2]
Early in its history, Red Man advertisements were painted on the sides of barns, featuring an endorsement from baseball player Nap Lajoie: "Lajoie chews Red Man, ask him if he don't."[3] Red Man was initially sold in a few Midwestern states; it expanded (in 1954) into the South and then (in 1963) largely nationwide.[1] The corporation's marketing material describes Red Man's consumer base: "A large number of consumers work outdoors and enjoy hunting, fishing and watch [sic] auto racing."[1] Contemporary materials from Swedish Match also suggest that the brand name came from something of an homage to American Indians.[1]
Marketing tie-ins with rural and outdoor sports have been a hallmark of the Red Man brand. From 1952 to 1955, Red Man produced a series of baseball cards, the only tobacco company to do so after 1920.[4] Since then, the brand has sponsored competitive events including the "Red Man-All American Pulling Series", a tractor pulling circuit, and the "Red Man All-American Bass Championship", a fishing competition.[5][6] In 1991, under pressure from the Federal Trade Commission, which was enforcing a 1986 U.S. statute banning television ads for smokeless tobacco, Red Man agreed to stop displaying its "product logo, selling message or the color or design of the tobacco product or its package" during televised coverage of the tractor pulls.[5] The competitive fishing circuit that culminated in the Bass Championship was sponsored by the company and called the "Red Man Tournament Trail" from 1983 to 2000, after which Wal-Mart took over as the name sponsor.[7]
As with other forms of oral tobacco use, there are concerns about the health effects of chewing tobacco. [8] While in the United States $18,000,000 were spent a year on advertising chewing tobacco in 2001, health concerns have led the US NCAA to ban all smokeless tobacco use in baseball.[8] Since 1997, the US has made the selling of smokeless tobacco to persons under 18 years of age illegal, and all chewing tobacco carries governmental warnings about health risks in the United States.[8] Despite warnings and prohibitions, Red Man remains a popular and profitable brand. There are currently six types of Red Man: the original blend, the higher nicotine Golden Blend, Gold Blend Totems, Select, Silver Blend, and Plug.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b c d History of chewing tobacco. Swedish Match. Retrieved July 15, 2006.
- ^ Svenska Tobaks AB. Swedish Match. Retrieved July 15, 2006.
- ^ Nunberg, Geoffrey (2001). The Way We Talk Now: Commentaries on Language and Culture. Houghton Mifflin Reference, p. 32. ISBN 0-618-11603-6.
- ^ Zoss, Joel; Bowman, John (2004). Diamonds in the Rough: The Untold History of Baseball. University of Nebraska Press, p. 18. ISBN 0-8032-9920-6.
- ^ a b "Chewing Tobacco Ads to Be Less Obvious", New York Times, 1991-10-31. Retrieved on 2006-07-15.
- ^ "Arizona's Baldwin Takes First Day Lead in Red Man All-American Bass Championship", Business Wire, 1999-06-18. Retrieved on 2006-07-01.
- ^ "Twelve Red Man bass divisions hold super events", Boats.com / Operation Bass, 2000-09-05. Retrieved on 2006-07-01.
- ^ a b c "Chewing Tobacco Just the Facts", National Institutes of Cancer. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
