True is an American cigarette brand introduced by Lorillard in 1966 and now owned by Reynolds American.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
True is an American cigarette brand created by the Lorillard Tobacco Company and introduced in September 1966. The launch began in ten major United States markets, followed by national distribution on November 1 of the same year. Its original advertising presented True as a cigarette associated with a full-flavor smoking experience, while later versions were promoted as lower in tar and nicotine. The brand became particularly associated with marketing directed at smokers who were considering quitting or reducing their consumption, including advertising language that framed choosing True as an alternative to stopping smoking altogether. This positioning later attracted criticism because it could give consumers a misleading impression that switching to a lower-tar or lower-nicotine cigarette materially reduced the health risks of smoking. True has been sold in both regular and menthol variants and in Kings and 100s formats. Its packaging has historically included soft-pack and box configurations. A distinctive technical feature is its recessed filter, a design also associated with Lorillard's Parliament cigarettes. In True cigarettes, the recessed area contains a plastic component intended to help keep the end of the cigarette from being broken, torn, or crushed. This feature differentiated the brand's physical design from ordinary filtered cigarettes and contributed to its recognizable product identity. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Lorillard supported True with television advertising as well as poster and print campaigns. The brand used the slogan “Shouldn't your brand be True?” and emphasized claims connected with lower tar and nicotine. In the 1970s and 1980s, the reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine positioning remained an important part of the brand's communication. These campaigns belonged to a broader tobacco-industry practice of marketing cigarettes as “light,” “low tar,” or otherwise less harmful, despite the continuing health risks associated with smoking. True remained a Lorillard brand until 2015, when Reynolds American acquired Lorillard Tobacco Company. Following that transaction, True became part of the Reynolds American portfolio and was manufactured through Reynolds' R.J. Reynolds subsidiary. Available reference material identifies the brand as continuing under that ownership, although detailed current distribution, sales performance, corporate leadership, and market share information is not established here. The documented brand history is therefore centered on its 1966 launch, its low-tar and low-nicotine marketing period, its cigarette-format and filter design, and its transfer from Lorillard to Reynolds American in 2015.
History
True was introduced by Lorillard Tobacco Company in September 1966. The initial rollout covered ten major American markets, and national distribution followed on November 1, 1966. Lorillard launched the product during a period when cigarette manufacturers were increasingly differentiating brands through flavor descriptions, filter engineering, tar and nicotine measurements, and lifestyle-oriented advertising. True's launch slogan, “Shouldn't your brand be True?”, presented the name as a statement of consumer choice and brand authenticity. At introduction, True was described as a full-flavored cigarette. During the 1970s and 1980s, the brand was also offered in a reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine version. Its marketing appealed to smokers who were concerned about smoking or thinking about quitting. One campaign used wording that portrayed the consumer as deciding either to quit or to smoke True. This approach placed the brand within the tobacco industry's broader effort to retain health-conscious smokers by presenting certain cigarette varieties as comparatively safer. Public-health criticism has characterized such low-tar and low-nicotine positioning as deceptive because the labels and implied comparisons could encourage smokers to believe that changing products substantially reduced the dangers of smoking. The brand's physical product design included a recessed filter. Like the filter used on Parliament cigarettes, the recessed structure created a space at the mouth end of the cigarette. True's version contained a plastic piece with a circular form, a triangular center, and radial extensions. The component was intended to prevent the top of the cigarette from being damaged, torn, or crushed. True was available in several conventional retail formats: filtered Kings in soft packs and boxes, filtered 100s in soft packs and boxes, menthol Kings in soft packs and boxes, and menthol 100s in soft packs and boxes. Lorillard promoted True through poster advertising and other print materials, often emphasizing low-tar and low-nicotine characteristics. Television advertisements also appeared during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The advertising history reflects the period's widespread use of comparative cigarette descriptors and health-oriented messaging, rather than evidence that the product was safe or materially safe relative to other combustible cigarettes. In 2015, Reynolds American acquired Lorillard Tobacco Company. The transaction transferred True from Lorillard to Reynolds American, with manufacturing associated with Reynolds' R.J. Reynolds subsidiary. The available reference material does not provide a complete account of later product availability, corporate management, distribution territories, or sales results. Accordingly, the documented history of True is best understood as the history of a Lorillard cigarette launched in 1966, developed through conventional, menthol, Kings, and 100s variants, marketed for a period through reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine claims, and subsequently absorbed into the Reynolds American brand portfolio.
- 2015
Transfer to Reynolds American
[1]Reynolds American acquired Lorillard Tobacco Company, bringing True under Reynolds American ownership and R.J. Reynolds manufacturing operations.
- 1970
Early television advertising period
[1]Television advertisements for True appeared during the late 1960s and early 1970s as Lorillard expanded the brand's promotional presence.
- 1970
Reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine positioning
[1]During the 1970s and 1980s, True was available in a reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine version and was promoted toward smokers concerned about quitting.
- 1966
True launches in the United States
[1]Lorillard introduced True in September in ten major American markets, with national distribution beginning on November 1.
Products and positioning
Historically positioned as a full-flavor and later reduced-tar/reduced-nicotine cigarette brand, with advertising aimed in part at smokers considering quitting or changing brands.
filtered cigarette
True Filters Kings
A standard-length filtered True cigarette offered in both soft-pack and box formats. The Kings line represents the conventional non-100s format documented for the brand. True cigarettes used a recessed-filter construction containing a plastic insert designed to protect the mouth end from being broken or crushed.
long filtered cigarette
True Filters 100s
A longer filtered cigarette in the True range, sold in soft-pack and box formats. The 100s format extended the brand's standard filtered offering and shared the recessed-filter design associated with True.
menthol cigarette
True Menthol Kings
A menthol version in the standard Kings format. Reference material identifies both soft-pack and box configurations, but does not provide a separate launch date, flavor specifications, or current distribution information.
long menthol cigarette
True Menthol 100s
A longer 100s-format menthol cigarette. It was documented in both soft-pack and box packaging, with no independently established launch date or current availability in the supplied material.
Controversies
1970
Criticism of health-oriented True advertising
True's reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine advertising, together with messaging directed at people considering quitting, was criticized as deceptive because it could suggest that smoking True was a safer alternative to quitting. The supplied reference describes this as a misleading form of targeting rather than documenting a specific court judgment or settlement.
Marketing campaigns
- 1970Low-tar and low-nicotine advertising
United States
Lorillard used poster advertising and other promotional materials to present True as a low-tar and low-nicotine cigarette. Television advertising also ran during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Outcome. The campaign established reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine claims as a central part of True's historical positioning.
- 1970Quit-or-smoke-True messaging
United States
A campaign addressed smokers who had considered quitting and framed choosing True as an alternative to stopping smoking, using wording built around the decision to quit or smoke True.
Outcome. The messaging attracted criticism because it could imply that switching to True was a meaningful substitute for quitting.
- 1966Shouldn't your brand be True?
United States
Lorillard used the slogan “Shouldn't your brand be True?” in launch advertising for the cigarette, including promotional materials associated with the initial national rollout.
Outcome. The slogan became the documented launch tagline for the brand.
Brand decisions
2015
Move True into the Reynolds American portfolioM&ABackground
Reynolds American acquired Lorillard Tobacco Company.
Action taken
Ownership of True transferred from Lorillard to Reynolds American, with production associated with its R.J. Reynolds subsidiary.
Aftermath
True became part of Reynolds American's cigarette-brand portfolio.
1970
Emphasize reduced tar and nicotineStrategyBackground
Smokers concerned about the health effects of cigarettes created demand for products presented as lower in tar or nicotine.
Action taken
Lorillard offered and promoted a reduced-tar and reduced-nicotine version of True, including advertising aimed at smokers considering quitting.
Aftermath
The positioning was later criticized as deceptive because it could lead consumers to overestimate the health benefits of switching products.
1966
Launch True as a new Lorillard cigarette brandProduct launchBackground
Lorillard introduced True during a period of strong cigarette-brand differentiation through flavor, filter design, and advertising claims.
Action taken
The company launched True in ten major U.S. markets in September and expanded it to national distribution on November 1.
Aftermath
True became an established Lorillard brand with conventional, menthol, Kings, and 100s variants.
Recent events
Reported
True acquires Hobbs & Towne[2]
True announced that it had acquired Hobbs & Towne, Inc. (HTI), which will continue operating as True's new Climate Tech practice.
- Unconfirmed
Telenor and CP announce plan to combine Thai mobile units[3]
Telenor and CP said they plan to combine their Thai mobile units, dtac and True, in a merger that would create a new company. The tie-up remains subject to board, shareholder and regulatory approval.
Reported
Mirthy raises $1.1 million pre-seed funding[4]
Mirthy raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funding led by Ascension’s Fair By Design fund, with participation from Ada Ventures, Redrice Ventures and True.
Reported
Zwift announces $450 million minority investment[5]
Zwift announced a $450 million minority investment led by KKR, with other new and existing investors participating. Zwift said it would use the investment to accelerate development of its software platform and bring Zwift-designed hardware to market.
Sources5 sources
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