Older-style Parliament Lights cigarette package (soft pack). |
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| Introduced | 1931 |
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| Produced by | Altria Group (formerly Philip Morris International) |
Parliament is a brand of cigarettes marketed by the company Philip Morris. The brand was introduced in 1931 and is distinctive for its recessed paper filters.[1] In the 1940s and '50s, the brand was marketed for its unique filters, with advertisements reading, "Only the flavor touches your lips", and "Tobacco tastes best when the filter's recessed".[2] The brand also claimed that the recessed filter prevented tar from making contact with the smoker's mouth, unlike standard filters.[3] The Parliament brand holds a strong market position in Saudi Arabia, Japan, Argentina, Israel, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Russia, Montenegro, Ukraine and the United States.
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Aside from the signature recessed filters, Parliaments are also noted for their "sharp" and "tangy" flavor.[4] They are also the only cigarettes on the mainstream market to feature a recessed paper filter. Unsubstantiated rumors have circulated that the recessed filters were designed for recreational cocaine snorting,[4] though marketing campaigns by Philip Morris stated that the filter was designed to prevent tar from making contact with the smoker's mouth, thus making them lower in tar content as well as enhancing flavor.[2]
Parliaments are sold in several different varieties:
Parliaments represent a small market, making up only 1.7% in Philip Morris sales figures, in stark contrast to the corporation's leading seller, Marlboros, which represent 41.1% of all Philip Morris sales.[5][6] Nonetheless, Parliaments are purportedly popular among smokers in their 20s in the United States and predominantly Russia. The brand is one of the leaders among premium-segment brands in Russia, but is fairly unknown in most of Europe. Actor Charlie Sheen appeared in ads for Parliament in the 1990s.[7]
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![[1]](http://gogd.tjs-labs.com/pictures/cig-time-10-25-1963-999-a-M5.jpg){kind=link}
![[2]](http://www.classroomtools.com/subad7b.jpg){kind=link}