We knew that our market was young boys. The rock climbing represented the ultimate in
heroism and machismo. Storm searchers, rescuers, you know, saving lives to offer them a cigarette,
which is kind of ironic. And they knew that it was going to sell cigarettes and obviously
it did because we moved Winston sales from number four to number two in just two years.
I was at the top of Mount Evans out in Denver, Colorado and I certainly felt the effects
of my smoking addiction not being able to breathe. And it was apparent to me that I
was one of the very few because most people weren't smoking, including the R.J. Reynolds
executives. And I asked the R.J. Reynolds executives why they weren't smoking. I thought
it quite odd. And he turned to me and said, you know, smoke the shit, we just sell it.
And I laughed and he said, we reserve the right to smoke for the young, the poor, the
black and the stupid.