Only Dumb Kids Can Make Smoking Popular Again

Looking for more proof that America's overall masculinity level is now somewhere down around Switzerland's panty line, these days? Fewer than one in five Americans now are smokers model. Including girls, even. How can we fix this? One tobacco company has an idea: "cigarettes." The cigars of a new generation! With smoking being increasingly demonized in environments in which it used to be considered "cool," Big Evil Tobacco Company Lorillard needs a hot new product that will give smoking's popularity a shot in the arm, of cancer (and money). I guess the popularity of snus has not exploded as quickly as forecast? Haha. Lorillard is not messing with pansy mouth tobacco. Lorillard is successfully bringing back cigarettes by just being obstinate and continuing to sell more and more and more cigarettes, forever. Can this wacky strategy succeed?

Cigarette Sales, Price Hikes

FMCG companies in India have been grappling with high input costs and margin pressures over the last several quarters. There are also worries that consumers may resort to downtrading or cut back on spending if the overall economic uncertainties continue and RBI hikes interest rates further. However, there will be no such concerns for ITC when it reports second quarter results on Monday. Its bread and butter cigarettes segment continues to surge ahead as consumers smoke tobacco away, despite price hikes and pictoral warnings. The company has raised prices of its Navy Cut and Classic brands by 10%, and analysts expect there will be more price hikes in coming quarters. "The company has not raised prices enough to compensate for the VAT increase in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh in the second quarter," say Amnish Aggarwal and Harit Kapoor of Motilal Oswal Securities.

Profit of Tobacco Companies

The second-largest tobacco company in the world, British American Tobacco (BAT), has reported an increase in its profits despite the hard times of financial crisis. The profits of the company elevated mainly because of its sales growth and increased sales in developing markets.