You Are Discharged!

1896 ad for Battle Ax Plug Tobacco (from the Oakland Tribune). The context here is that Battle Ax Plug Tobacco was produced by the American Tobacco Company, which was selling it at well below cost in order to drive its competitors out of business. So the ad's claim that it was the preferred brand of cheapskates was actually correct!

Thanks to such aggressive marketing techniques, the American Tobacco Company soon did dominate the market. But in 1907 it was indicted as being in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and was carved up by the government into four separate firms: American Tobacco Company, R. J. Reynolds, Liggett & Myers, and Lorillard. For more info, see The Dukes of Durham and wikipedia.

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 28, 2013
Category: Advertising | Nineteenth Century

Comments

Only one 'business' is allowed to have a monopoly in the US (if you don't count Microtrash).

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 04/28/13 at 10:03 AM

I often plug the ole "Battle Axe" :red: 🙄

Posted by BrokeDad in Midwest US on 04/28/13 at 11:21 AM

LMAO!!!

Posted by EvilSpaceLordMang on 04/29/13 at 10:16 AM

Funny how the attitudes are now reversed.

"You are discharged! I will not have a tobacco user on my staff!"

Posted by KDP on 04/29/13 at 04:05 PM

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