Philip Morris launched Virginia Slims cigarettes on July 22, 1968. 1971 marked the first full year of the Virginia Slims Women’s Tennis Circuit. The Virginia Slims Women’s Opinion Poll by Louis Haris was initiated in 1972. By 1978, the brand had garnered a 1.75% market share (upwards of 3.9% among women). One percent of the cigarette market in the 1970s was the equivalent of 240 million packs. Today Virginia Slims is not well-promoted but still has a market share of approximately 1.5%–more than 200 million packs.  Marlboro, by far the nation’s top-selling cigarette, has a market share of 43%.

Sources: CSTS collection of Philip Morris and Altria annual reports; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK99238/figure/ch5.f2/; and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Slims