Prince (cigarette)
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Prince is a Danish brand of
cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...
s, owned by multinational
British American Tobacco British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products including electronic cigarettes. The company, established in 1902, is headquartered in London, E ...
, and produced by
House of Prince House of Prince A/S, is a Danish cigarette manufacturer. As Denmark's only cigarette manufacturer,subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...
of the Scandinavian Tobacco Company.


History

Prince was introduced in 1957 on the Danish market by Chr. Augustine's Fabrikker as a 'counterpart' to the first filter cigarette in this country, ''"All-Over"'', as R. Færch's Factories released four years earlier. For decades, Prince was an unquestioned market leader, but in recent years the position has been challenged by brands like ''"LA"'', which have taken significant market shares. In 2002 Prince saw 48.1% of the Danish cigarette market, while it accounted for only 26.7% of sales five years later. Right from the beginning, Prince marketed under the slogan ''"Jeg er også gået over til Prince"'' (''"I have also gone over to Prince"''). First, the models were anonymous, but already from the 1960s there were known faces that contributed. In the 1990s, there was, among other people, the photomodel Tina Kjær. Denmark, like other EU countries, banned the advertising of tobacco from 2002 onward. In Norway and Sweden, the brand became known for its aggressive marketing, where Norwegian and Swedish celebrities stood up and said they ''"had also gone over to Prince"''.
Rolv Wesenlund Rolv Helge Wesenlund (17 September 1936 – 18 August 2013) was a Norway, Norwegian comedian, singer, clarinetist, writer and actor. Biography Wesenlund was most known for having portrayed the title character in the musical Bør Børson Jr. (m ...
,
Roald Øyen Roald Øyen (born 12 September 1940) is a Norwegian television host and television personality for NRK. Øyen joined NRK in 1962 and hosted the programme '' Bit for bit, bilde for bilde'' (Bit by Bit, Frame by Frame) and has commentated for Norway ...
,
Henki Kolstad Henki Kolstad (3 February 1915 – 14 July 2008) was a Norway, Norwegian actor and pop-cultural national treasure. With his debut at the National_Theatre_(Oslo), Oslo national theater, he was known for his appearances in ''Olsenbanden'', the child ...
, Lollo Schanke,
Kari Simonsen Kari Simonsen (born 5 June 1937) is a Norwegian actress. She made her professional stage debut at Folketeatret in 1959. She was appointed at Oslo Nye Teater from 1960 to 1972, and at Nationaltheatret from 1974. She has also played for radio ...
and Elisabeth Granneman were some of the celebrities who did so. In 1961 Prince was launched on the Swedish market and in 1967 in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, where today it has a market share of approx. 42%, and where Prince Rounded Taste is the country's best-selling cigarette. The market share of Prince is approx. 34%. The northern part of
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
was taken in 1972 and the rest of
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in 1986. Today, Prince cigarettes are available in more than 40 countries in the world. In a study in 1977, 28 mg of
tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
and 2.0 mg of
nicotine Nicotine is a natural product, naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and ''Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreational drug use, recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As ...
were found in each Prince cigarette. This was the fourth highest content of both substances in the test that covered 28 cigarette brands that were available in the Norwegian market. In 1987, the tar content of Prince was reduced to 20 mg and the nicotine content to 1.7 mg per cigarette.


Controversy

In 2000, it was reported that counterfeit Prince cigarettes were smuggled into Denmark. ''"Consumers have found that it tastes terrible"'' says Director Anders Friis, adding that the false cigarettes were probably produced in
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
and, in some cases, perhaps in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. The Copenhagen police investigated a case of 2.5 million smuggled cigarettes, revealed at the German-Danish border, stored in a Russian lorry officially loaded with charcoal. The idea was that the cigarettes would be handed over to a man at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, showed the investigation. A 56-year-old Danish man had been detained in custody. The police believed that pirate production took place in several Eastern European countries, and Hasse Jakobsen said it was ''"an increasing problem"''. In 2003, it was also reported that illegal cigarettes were also smuggled into Sweden. The tobacco was legally imported from China or the Balkans, then distributed via ports in the Black Sea to buyers located elsewhere. The owners of the illegal cigarette factories bought the tobacco and, using old equipment (in some cases Danish machines from the 1950s), cigarettes were produced. They were printed with the branding of Prince or
Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (PMI, now separate from Altria) in most global territories outside the ...
, a case of
trademark infringement Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may occ ...
. Direct transport from China also occurs. In 2011, it was reported that BAT added additives into Prince cigarettes that made people addicted. A lawsuit followed, brought by ex-smoker Allan Lykke Jensen, which would settle whether BAT misled consumers by adding these additives, and by using false information from their own smoke testing devices. In 2011, reports came out that the Scandinavian Tobacco Company may have used tobacco waste in the Prince cigarettes until the 1990s, and which was admitted the former director of Scandinavian Tobacco Company, Claus Bagger, in the Eastern District Court. He was interrogated as a representative of Scandinavian Tobacco Company, under the lawsuit brought by ex-smoker Allan Lykke Jensen for using different additives and techniques to mislead the smokers of
nicotine Nicotine is a natural product, naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and ''Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreational drug use, recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As ...
and
tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
prescription in the Prince cigarettes. One of these methods, according to critics, was the addition of reconstituted tobacco waste. In 2017, it was reported that illegal cartons of Prince cigarettes were openly sold online, often by criminal gangs. The main selling points were on
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
and dba.dk. A carton typically cost between 250 and 300
Danish krone The krone (; plural: ''kroner''; sign: kr.; code: DKK) is the official currency of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, introduced on 1 January 1875. Both the ISO code "DKK" and currency sign "kr." are in common use; the former precedes ...
, making these cigarettes significantly cheaper than those in Danish stores where official Prince Red cartons cost 440 kr. The cigarettes are in any event illegal because no Danish tax is paid. But in a large part of the cigarettes there is something completely different from what was separated by the side of the package. Copyrights are typically produced at illegal factories in Eastern Europe and
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
. In Poland, the authorities often find illegal cigarettes, and in 2016, Polish police stormed illegal cigarette factories 30 times. Also at the Polish borders, 739 million cigarettes were confiscated in 2016. 186 times, the Polish authorities found Red Prince, which was produced in Germany for the Scandinavian market.


Markets

Prince cigarettes are mainly sold in
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, but also are or were sold in
Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
,
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
,
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
,
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
,
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
,
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
,
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.


Variants of the Prince brand

* Rich Taste (formerly Prince Full Flavour, introduced 1957) * Rounded Taste (formerly Prince Lights, seni s.. senede) * Rich Taste 100 (formerly Prince Full Flavour 100, introduced 1985) * Rounded Taste 100 (formerly Prince Lights 100, introduced 1988) * Menthol Taste (formerly Prince Lights Menthol, introduced 1990) * Golden Taste (formerly Prince Ultra Lights, introduced 1990) * Golden Taste 100 (formerly Prince Lights 100, introduced 1995) * Smooth Taste (formerly Prince Extra Ultra, introduced 1999) * Mellow Taste (formerly Prince Medium) * Highland Taste: Introduced in 2006 * Indian Summer: Introduced in late 2007/early 2008 * First Cut: Introduced in late 2007/early 2008


See also

*
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 released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed to hav ...


References

{{British American Tobacco Danish brands British American Tobacco brands Products introduced in 1957 1957 establishments in Denmark