Kent cigarette brand marketing in the Republic of Korea: the role of a pioneering image, flavour capsules and leader price promotions

Kent is a cigarette brand that was first introduced in 1952, being named after Herbert A Kent, who was president of the cigarette’s producer, the Lorillard Tobacco Company.1–3 Currently, Kent is produced by British American Tobacco (BAT) internationally (ie, for all markets beyond the USA), and the cigarette brand is regarded as one of BAT’s five major ‘Global Drive Brands’ (along with Dunhill, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall and Rothmans).4 In 2010, Guy Meldrum, BAT Korea’s marketing executive director, stated that ‘Kent is the second-largest premium brand globally—outside of the U.S. and China’.5 According to BAT, Kent is a pioneering brand and ‘symbolises progress through technology in the cigarette category and stands out as the most innovative and forward-looking brand in the industry’.6

South Korea is identified as a key market for BAT in the Asia-Pacific region as well as…

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