What Happened to Winfield? Australia's Most Iconic Cigarette

Welcome to Big Truck Time! 🚛 For two decades there was one brand that was absolutely everywhere in Australia. On every television. On every billboard. On every rugby league jersey. At every milk bar. One catchphrase that every Australian of a certain age can still recite today. Then one law changed everything and it was gone overnight. This is the story of Winfield. It started as a calculated move. 1972 — Rothmans saw an opening at the budget end of the Australian cigarette market. Price it 10% below the competition. Put it behind every milk bar counter in the country. Keep the pack at 70 cents while rivals charged 80 or 90. Internal documents from the launch show 42% of Queensland smokers named cost as their main reason for choosing a brand. Winfield was built for them. Then came the 25-cigarette pack in 1976 — a format no other brand offered. Five smokes ahead of the rest. NSW weekly sales jumped 8% after launch. Winfield climbed from budget upstart to market leader in three years. But it was one man who made the brand legendary. Paul Hogan. Fresh from Channel 9's New Faces. A bridge rigger with a crooked grin and larrikin charm. His first Winfield ad aired July 1972 — tuxedoed and deadpan, delivering his signature sign-off. By 1975 a recall study found 68% of Australian smokers could identify the catchphrase — a figure unmatched by any other tobacco brand. The advertising industry called it the most successful tobacco campaign ever run in Australia. September 1976 — the government banned tobacco advertising on television and radio. Winfield moved to billboards and print. In 1982 they found a new screen — the rugby league field. The Winfield Cup. 1982 to 1995. Thirteen years of grand finals, State of Origin, packed grandstands and the working-class heartland of NSW and Queensland watching their sport with a cigarette brand woven into every broadcast. Then came Tina Turner. Simply the Best. Female viewership of rugby league nearly doubled. Internal BAT documents describe the Turner partnership as a way to modernise Winfield's image and reach younger, more diverse consumers. It worked — and it drew exactly the wrong kind of attention. The Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act 1992 gave tobacco companies until 31 December 1995 to remove their names from stadiums, jerseys and trophies. When the 1995 rugby league season ended so did the Winfield Cup. Research cited in Parliament showed nearly 60% of teenagers could identify the Winfield logo on sports gear. By 2004-05 Winfield was still Australia's third most valuable grocery brand — behind only Coca-Cola and Longbeach. No billboards, no sport, no TV. Just habit and memory moving millions of packs a year. 2012 — Australia introduced the world's first plain packaging law. Winfield Red became a name on a drab olive-green box. The brand that had once defined Australian popular culture reduced to a line of text. Paul Hogan later called himself a drug dealer and joined Cure Cancer Australia. The ban was right. But the era it ended was unforgettable. If you love trucks, roadtrains, roaring engines, and everything that keeps the highways alive — you’re in the right place. From powerful machines hauling massive loads to the raw beauty of diesel engines at work, this channel is all about the heart and soul of trucking. 👉 Hit that Subscribe button so you never miss the latest videos from the world of big rigs and road power! 📨 For business inquiries or collaborations, feel free to contact me at: [email protected] #trucks #trucking #truckdrivers #truckers #roadtrains #roadtrainsaustralia #australia #outback