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 Brand logo with Gypsy dancer, designed by Molusson, 1943 | |
| Product type | Cigarette |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Imperial Tobacco |
| Country | France |
| Introduced | 1910; 116 years ago (1910) |
| Markets | SeeMarkets |
| Previous owners | Altadis |
| Carcinogenicity:IARC group 1 | |
Gitanes (pronounced[ʒi.tan], "Gypsy women") is a French brand ofcigarettes, owned and manufactured byImperial Tobacco following their acquisition ofAltadis in January 2008, having been owned bySEITA before that.
Gitanes was launched in 1910 in four different versions, all of which were filterless. In 1918, Gitanes Maïs were introduced, which were a success in the rural areas ofFrance. In the 1930s, the first graphic ads for Gitanes appeared. In 1956, the first filtered Gitane variant was introduced. In 1981, the "Light" versions are first marketed. In 1986, the first Gitanes Blondes were launched, which had become available internationally in 1987. However, they were a commercial failure.[1] In 1988, the first "Extra Light" versions were marketed. In 1991, Gitanes ultra lights were introduced. In 1990/1991, a simultaneous launch of a new version of Gitanes Blondes ultra light were brought on the market.[1]
Gitanes are sold in many varieties of strengths and packages. The cigarette was originally made with a darker orbrun (brown) tobacco, in contrast to the more widespreadblonde. In honour of the name, the packet shows the silhouette of a Spanish gypsy woman playing thetambourine.[2]
There is a distinction between the "blonde" style of the current Gitanes, and the classic style of Gitanes Brunes, both of which are sold inEurope andSouth America (most commonly inArgentina andChile). The classic Gitanes Brunes tobacco achieved its characteristic and distinctive "bite" by using a fire-flued method ofcuring the tobacco, and a "rice" type of rolling paper which differs from most other cigarettes. The result was a cigarette which had both a strong flavour and a distinctive aroma.
Gitanes Blondes are available, filtered, in Light and Regular. The Gitanes Brunes are available in 70 mm versions, filtered and unfiltered. In 2010, the size and content of the regular Gitanes were reduced.[citation needed] Gitanes Maïs (corn) are made with yellow corn paper.[citation needed]
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Production in France was halted, with one factory remaining operational in theNetherlands. This was mainly due to the rise on tobacco levies imposed by theFrench Government in the wake of enforcedEU health directives, which has forced up the price of French cigarettes to the level of those in the US, with the more aggressively promoted brands such asMarlboro now taking the majoritymarket share.[3]
The 1990s were particularly successful for Gitanes in terms of brand engagement. In an effort to increase awareness, the brand began sponsoring motor-sports such asFormula One racing and theDakar Rally. These activities helped to attract a wider range of potential customers while avoiding any dilution of the brand image and thus retained the loyalty of its more artistic core customer base.[1]
In July 2016, the French government considered a ban on both the Gitanes andGauloises cigarette brands because they were deemed"too stylish and cool". The ban would also apply to brands includingMarlboro Gold,Vogue,Lucky Strike andFortuna. It is the result of a new public health law based on a European directive that says tobacco products"must not include any element that contributes to the promotion of tobacco or give an erroneous impression of certain characteristics". Four major tobacco companies have written to the government seeking clarification on the potential law, calling for an urgent meeting to discuss the details of the plan. In the letter they accuse French Health MinisterMarisol Touraine of an"arbitrary and disproportionate" application of EU directives.[4][5][6][7][8]
Since the 1930s, many advertisements have been made to promote the Gitanes brand.[9][10][11][12][13]
In 1927 Maurice Giot introduced the first design in theArt Deco style. From 1943 packets featured a Gypsy dancer, designed by Molusson. In 1947 the figure was refined to a silhouette by Max Ponty; this image is still in use today. The silhouette has been used on many famous posters; these have included Savignac (1953) and Morvan (1960).[14][15] The boxes have always featured the colours black, blue and white.
Gitanes had a long-standing partnership with theÉquipe Ligier team. Following the acquisition of theMatraFormula One team's assets, Ligier entered Formula One in1976 with a MatraV12-powered car, and won the1977 Swedish Grand Prix withJacques Laffite. This is generally considered to have been the first all-French victory in the Formula One World Championship.[16]
In total the team won 8 races, got 47 podiums and earned 373 points during their partnership with Gitanes. In1995's end of the sister companyGauloises became the new sponsor, ending a partnership that lasted 19 years.[17]
In 1997 the team was sold toAlain Prost and became theProst Grand Prix in1997. Prost GP, despite substantial financial backing by large private French companies, failed to make the team competitive and went bankrupt in2002.
After retiring from racing following the death of his friendJo Schlesser, Guy Ligier decided to found his own team and had engineerMichel Têtu develop a sports car named theJS1 (Schlesser's initials). TheCosworth-powered JS1 took wins at Albi and Montlhéry in 1970, but retired atLe Mans and from the Tour Automobile de France.[18]
For 1971, Ligier had the JS1 developed into theJS2 andJS3. The JS2 was homologated for road use and used aMaserati V6 engine, while the JS3 was an open-top sports-prototype powered by a Cosworth DFV V8 engine. The JS3 won at Montlhéry in 1971 but failed to finish the minimum distance in Le Mans. Therefore, it was retired,[19] and Ligier installed the Cosworth DFV in the JS2 road car, finishing second overall atLe Mans in 1975.[20] Guy Ligier then switched his efforts into Formula One.
Gitanes also sponsored various teams in theDakar Rally from its first season in1979 until tobacco sponsorship was banned by the French government.[17][21][22][23]
In the 1958 French filmAscenseur pour l'échafaud the character Julien Tavernier, played byMaurice Ronet, smokes Gitanes in several scenes.
In the 1971 crime filmGet Carter,Michael Caine's character Jack Carter can be seen smoking Gitanes in various scenes.[24]
In the 1981 French thrillerDiva, the character Gorodish, a mysterious bohemian, frequently smokes Gitanes.[25] In the scene that introduces Gorodish, the colours used in the set were picked to complement those of the Gitane packets.[26][unreliable source?]
In Hayao Miyazaki's 1992 filmPorco Rosso, the titular character is often seen smoking Gitanes.
The cover of the 1974 albumDancing on a Cold Wind byCarmen and the cover of the 1981 albumShades byJJ Cale both use the Gitanes design.[27]The brand is mentioned in the song "Late Bloomer" from the albumThe Voyager byJenny Lewis: "She was smoking on a gypsy."[citation needed]
David Bowie smoked these in his persona ofThe Thin White Duke.[28]
Serge Gainsbourg was a heavy Gitanes smoker and always appeared in public with his packet of Gitanes in his hand. The bookA Fistful of Gitanes is about his life and career.[29]
Slash, guitarist forGuns N' Roses, smoked the brand and has a tattoo of the Gitanes logo on his back.[1]
The cigarettes appear prominently inMarc Behm's 1980The Eye of the Beholder.[30]
Various characters inHarry Turtledove'sThe War That Came Early series often smoke Gitanes.[citation needed]
The cigarettes are also smoked byPhryne Fisher, the main character in the "Miss Fisher" crime novel series byKerry Greenwood.[citation needed]
The character Giles Talbot inKate Quinn's "The Rose Code" smoked Gitanes.[31]
The character Jakub Szapiro inSzczepan Twardoch's "Król" smoked Gitanes.[32]
The character Guy in James Baldwin’s ‘Just Above my Head’ also offers a Gitane to Arthur.
Gitanes is mainly sold inFrance, but also was or still is sold inArgentina,Austria,Belgium,Egypt,Georgia,Germany,Israel,Italy,Luxembourg,Martinique,Russia,Spain,Switzerland,Ukraine andUnited Arab Emirates.[33][34][35][36][37]
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1Australia only;2Brands ofHabanos, a 50:50 joint venture between Imperial Tobacco andCubatabaco;350% share;4formerly, "Commonwealth Brands" | |||||||
