In America, Marlboro lights are the most popular brand of cigarettes, hands down. I've worked at two convenience stores in two states, far apart, and talked to a number of other convenience store/gas station employees all across the country. I've found that, on average, a store will sell almost if not at least as many Marlboro lights as all the other brands of cancer sticks in the store combined.
Marlboro lights are also one of the most recognized brands of cigarettes, right up there with Camel. In the computer game Deus Ex cigarette packs (they kill you immediately when you use them. Funny.) are represented by a little box with the same square pac-man looking decoration.
Many people smoke lights because of the promise adorning the cover of the box, "LOWERED TAR AND NICOTINE". Unfortunately, as Matt Gottlieb, staff attorney for the Tobacco Products Liability Project or TPLP says,
the basis of the consumer fraud and deception alleged in these lawsuits is that cigarettes sold as 'light' are basically ordinary cigarettes with tiny holes in the filter that dilute the smoke with air when 'tar' and nicotine are measured by a machine. These diluted measurements are printed on the pack and marketing materials for such cigarettes. But when smoked by human beings, the actual intake of ''tar'' and nicotine is much higher than the machine rating because either the lips or fingers of the smoker cover many of the holes.
In addition, smokers who switch to lights will probably smoke more. To compensate for less nicotene and breath deeper. This could possibly cause them to consume more tar and nictotene than with their original brand, not to mention the fact that they spend more money.
10 box carton 200 cigarettes King Size Box Tar - 9.0 mg Nicotine - 0.8
