Roxy was a Dutch
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 opp ...
brand that was manufactured by
Royal Theodorus Niemeyer in
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
, now owned by
British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco plc (BAT) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products. The company, established in 1902, is headquartered in London, England. As of 2019, it is the large ...
.
History
Roxy was created on 19 March 1951 by Theodorus Niemeijer. Their slogan was ''"'n Roxy?....ja graag!"'' (''"a Roxy?....yes please!"'').
The brand was developed specifically as a cigarette which contained lower
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 bit ...
and
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 ...
. Although in the advertising for the cigarette references to health damage by smoking were avoided, scientific publications about the effects of smoking led to the creation of this cigarette. The consumer consciously wanted a safer smoke. In 1962 the
Consumentenbond
The Consumentenbond (CB, "Consumers association") is a Dutch non-profit organization which promotes consumer protection.
History
The Consumentenbond was established in 1953. As of 1997 it had 650,000 members and represented one out of nine Dut ...
did a comparative study of the tar and nicotine content in various cigarettes, in which Roxy had the lowest levels of tar and nicotine. As a result, the market share of Roxy grew compared to the other cigarette brands.
Dutch celebrities like
John Kraaijkamp Sr.
Jan Hendrik (John) Kraaijkamp Sr. (19 April 1925 – 17 July 2011) was a Dutch Golden Calf and Louis d'Or winning actor, comedian and singer. For years, he formed a comedy team with Rijk de Gooyer. One of The Netherlands' most popular comedians, p ...
starred in various
Star commercials during a time when tobacco advertising was still allowed.
In 1978, the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a ...
starred in an advertising campaign called ''"Johan Cruyff: Rook verstandig"'', in which Cruyff promoted the Roxy Dual filter cigarette: ''"Maar ik vind: als je rookt, moet je wel verstandig roken"'' (''"But I find: if you smoke, you have to smoke consciously"''. After complaints from mainly Konsumenten Kontakt, the ad was promptly banned by the Reclame Code Commissie (''Advertising Code Committee'').
The brand disappeared completely from the market in 2005, after a ban on cigarettes ads was put in place by the Dutch government in 2003.
Packaging
The first packs had a mix of blue and black, but later a lighter shade of blue was used instead. The first cigarettes were packed in packs of 20 pieces, a box of 50 pieces, a flat tin box of 50 pieces and a round tin box of 50 pieces. There was a sliding box of 5 pieces as well, but that one was not available for sale, and it's speculated it was used for advertisements only.
Markets
The brand was mainly sold in the
Netherlands
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. It was exported to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
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 simply released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed ...
*
British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco plc (BAT) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products. The company, established in 1902, is headquartered in London, England. As of 2019, it is the large ...
References
{{British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco brands