Salem is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by ITG Brands, a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco, inside the U.S. and by Japan Tobacco outside the United States. History Salem was launched in 1956 by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company as the first filter-tipped Menthol cigarette. When the brand was introduced in 1956, Salem's slogan was "Take a puff, it's springtime" which was used for several years afterwards. Its name (along with that of the Winston brand) derives from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the city where RJR was founded and headquartered. Salem cigarettes are unique in that they are blended with Asian menthol rather than the traditional mainstream menthol. In 2015, Salem was sold to Imperial Tobacco Group as a divestiture during Reynolds' acquisition of Lorillard Tobacco Company. Marketing In 1982, Salem rebranded their product with focus toward a younger demographic and launched a new campaign called "Salem Spirit". The new campaign served to rival Newport's ongoing efforts targeting youth and attempted to steal Kool's declining young customer base. In Salem Spirit, groups of young men and women are seen to bond together over fun, youthful activities, ranging from sledding and hot air ballooning to picnicking and frolicking in the ocean. Internal R.J. Reynolds documents described the Salem smoker as self-confident, up-to-date, and as younger adult smokers (18-23) who were characterized as social leaders/catalysts uniquely possessing a sense of humor/wit, spontaneity, warmth and unpretentious style that made them fun and exciting to be with. The ads were constructed carefully in order to target this very specific demographic in many ways. One way was the use of what R.J. Reynolds referred to as "refreshment communicators". Used to reflect the potentially unknown sensations of menthol to new smokers, refreshment communicators included greenery, water, snow, and outdoor situations. Another method for attracting youth was through the campaign's use of young, fun-loving models: Model attitudes would continue to advance the campaign's imagery through a warmth/caring focus as a vehicle to reflect a sense of group belonging and peer group acceptance, one document explains, citing the equivalent of peer pressure as a primary method for hooking youth. This is an important element differentiating the Spirit campaign from Newport's exclusive coupling. Model closeness would be emphasized to gain social smoking acceptability. Another result of model closeness was that the activities all felt younger and almost childlike. Indeed, sharing a big drink at a picnic, sledding