cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the oppo ...
s, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris International. The original acronym for Next was a reference to ''"nicotine extracted"''.
History
The brand was launched in 1989 by Philip Morris USA as a "low-nicotine" brand in the United States they dubbed as ''"de-nic"''. The company claimed that Next was better than other low-nicotine varieties because its taste was indistinguishable from regular cigarettes. The nicotine was removed from the cigarettes using high-pressure carbon dioxide in a process similar to the method used by coffee companies when making decaffeinated coffee. Test marketing began in July 1989, around the time of the release of the Surgeon General's report on nicotine addiction, in three markets ( Omaha, Hartford and Toledo). Philip Morris USA spent tens of millions of Dollars developing the product, but it never received any credible third-party endorsement. Instead, public health groups criticised the product because it actually had higher tar levels than many other cigarette brands, and that heavy smokers would simply smoke more Next cigarettes to give their bodies the nicotine they crave. They also petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to regulate it as a drug delivery device.
Eventually, the brand became a marketing failure once the test results proved to be disappointing due to poor sales (less than 0.2 market share) and Philip Morris stopped producing them in late 1989.
Additional test marketing of Next was conducted by Philip Morris in
Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Count ...
in May 1990, but the results were still poor and the product was pulled off the market once again.
The brand was eventually re-launched after tax increases of tobacco in Malaysia pushed
Marlboro
Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Mar ...
out of the market. Next is also available in tobacco for rolling use.
Next International is sold in Canada as a discount cigarette brand which competes with other imported brands such as
Viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...
In May 2015, the Moroccan Tobacco Company (formerly
Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mo ...
) was accused of committing fraudulent acts by mixing both blonde and brown tobacco and selling it as 100% dark tobacco.
According to the international definition, brown cigarettes must be at least 60% brown tobacco. But in Morocco, there is no standard for tobacco mixtures. To counter cheating, some distributors demand the standardization of taxation of blond and brown tobacco.
The Emirati-Morocco for Industry and Distribution had launched the marketing of Next cigarettes at 15
dirhams
The dirham, dirhem or dirhm ( ar, درهم) is a silver unit of currency historically and currently used by several Arab and Arab influenced states. The term has also been used as a related unit of mass.
Unit of mass
The dirham was a un ...
. Produced by the American Philip Morris, the tobacco brand was approved more than a year and a half ago by the Moroccan Tobacco Company (formerly Imperial Tobacco), which never marketed it. But what sparked industry outrage was that Next was suspected of being officially listed as brown tobacco, hence the very low price. But the product that was just launched at the point of sale advertising was rather a blend between brown tobacco and blond tobacco. This would not be consistent with what was approved by the Tobacco Control Board. Laboratory analyzes were also underway to determine the true composition of Next cigarettes. But one already suspects a strong predominance of blond tobacco. The Probate Commission, which was made up of the Ministries of Trade and Industry, Health, Agriculture and Finance, would be called in to make its own investigation and react to that.
For the introduction on the Moroccan market of Next, premium brand of brown tobacco, the distributor had chosen the southern regions of
Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrake ...
. Areas known for the preference of Value For Money cigarettes (low cost). The distribution of the new brand was gradually being rolled out all over the country.
Contacted by The Economist, Philip Morris rejected any accusation. ''"The product we market is in line with what has been approved by the Commission. It is indeed a brown tobacco as authorized."'' said the tobacco giant. The latter recalls that most tobacco companies use tobacco blends to personalize a product and that this is a widespread trend for all operators. The controversy would not fail to intensify a week before the publication of a new list of cigarettes in the Official Bulletin, provided by the law in early June of each year.
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Maced ...
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
*Next Red (Full Flavour now known as Next Xtra)
*Next Green (Non-Menthol as of Jan 1 2017) has a charcoal filter. (Now known as Next Smooth)
*Next Blue (Light now known as Next Original)
*Next Gold (Smooth now known as Next Select)
*Next Noir (only available in Quebec)
*Next Duo (Redesigned without Menthol Capsule) - (as of flavour ban Jan 1 2017)
*Next Xpress (Full Flavour)
See also
*
Nicotine
Nicotine is a naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and ''Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As a pharmaceutical drug, it is used for ...
*
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or simply released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believe ...
List of additives in cigarettes
This is a list of 599 additives that could be added to tobacco cigarettes. The ABC News program '' Day One'' first released the list to the public on March 7, 1994.Philip Morris brands