in UK it depends on area. in the north, eg Scotland, Regal is the most populat brand. in the South, eg London, Benson and Hedges is most popular (also Embassy and Silk Cut), and you can hardly find Regal sold anywhere in the south.
why is this? seems strange that people from different areas of same country prefer different brands of ciggies.
Growing up in New Jersey, I swear, EVERYONE smoked Parliament Lights (they used to only come in lights, now they have full flavor and menthol). Seemed like NJ was the only place where these were popular at the time.
I’m not a smoker, but I’d say the most popular brand in the US is Marlboro, followed probably by…hmm…newports are pretty popular, and I think Camels are as well.
Also, this’ll probably be moved to IMHO, but there you go.
absolutely parliament lights. when they were new in oklahoma and texas, everyone seemed to switch automatically, and up here in jersey and NYC they remain the most popular amongst kids i know.
all the cool chicks used to smoke camel lights, but now it is definitely parliament lights (menthol for the party kids)
Marlboro is popular here *'cause it’s from the States, ye know *
My own little cancerstick is Caballero [no filter] lots of nicotine & tar. Mmmmmmmm. 
Yeah, this’ll probably end up in IMHO, but let’s try to make a General Question out of it first.
Do there exist regional cigarette preferences in the UK or in the US, and if so what if anything (marketing, taste preferences, etc) accounts for them?
To generalize, I’ve noticed that …
I’ve also noticed that some cogarette smokers are as bad as those ordering coffee in Starbucks – they’ll go up to the counter of their local convenience store, rattle off something like “Marlboro Ultra Light 100s, hard pack,” and get pissed off if they’re given the soft pack.
Why are cigarette smokers so brand loyal, anyhow? It’s not as if beer snobs, wine snobs or cigar snobs drink or puff the same brand every time.
Curse you, Niobium, for reminding me of Silk Cuts! I haven’t been able to find them here in the States in years and they were sooooo tasty!
I know that in the part of Tennessee I live in, Marlboro Lights in the box are the most popular brand. Why? I have no idea as I’ve not noticed more Marlboro Lights ads than any others, so who knows?
elmwood, I’ve noticed that most people tend to be easy-going if they get the wrong brand, but if a man buys his wife/girlfriend the wrong kind of Virginia Slims and you can bet he’ll back in the store as soon as she discovers it, getting her the right kind. Never happened with any other brand, just the Virginia Slims. Never could figure that one out.
From my experience working in a convenience store:
That doesn’t include anything like soft pack vs hard pack, menthol light 100’s or anything else…
what does soft pack and hard pack mean?
elmwood, speaking as a smoker, I’d say it’s because the different brands and variations within a brand taste and “feel” different. Smoking isn’t entirely about the nicotine, and a cigarette that isn’t your usual just isn’t as satisfying.
From my experience working in a convenience store, I’d say fatdave’s list is pretty accurate. The store was in an office building, so we only stocked what the smokers in the building requested. Merits were also very popular, among those trying to cut down on their tar and nicotine consumption. Newports, Salems, and Kools (in that order) seemed to be most popular among the menthol crowd.
Hard pack comes in a cardboard box, soft pack has a paper wrapper.
Or a soft pack contains stickies and a hard pack heroin. 
Don’t want to genrealize here, but I have heard than many blacks prefer menthol cigarettes: even to the point that people were crying racism because menthols were supposedly more dangerous. I don’t know why that is because my white friends cringe at the thought of a menthol.
As a man who worked his way through college at QuikTrip, I can tell you without a doubt that when I worked in stores in the white side of town, the most popular brand was Marlboro, followed by Marlboro lights. When I worked in the black side of town the most popular brand was Kool followed by Marlboro Menthol or Salem.
Next time you’re in a convenience store look at what brand they have in the center. We would always put two rows of the popular brand in the center for fast easy access.
E3
it is true menthol is more popular with black people, and this lead to the completely false rumour going about that menthol cigarettes make you sterile.
I remember several years ago there was a bit of controversy over a brand of cigarettes being marketed specifically towards blacks. It was just another menthol cigarette, but the cigarettes were arranged backwards in the pack - instead of the filters being on top, they were on bottom. This was done after market research showed that a lot of blacks open their packs on the bottom so they can pull the cigarette out by the end you light, not the end you smoke. Not sure why this is, but one black friend of mine told me it was because blacks tend to share their cigarettes more and preferred that you not touch the end that is going in their mouth when handing them one.
Benson & Hedges used to be the most popular brand, though I have no evidence to back this up.
Apart from that there’s Marlboro lights, which I and most people in my office smoke. Embassy No.1, same as Regal really just in a red box as opposed to the blue Regal box.
Cheaper brands are becoming more popular, due to the high price of cigarettes in the UK. I’d say the best selling of these are Lambert & Butler.
I’d say the most popular now are the ones you get down the pub! Imported from overseas and sold on the snide. For £15-£20 for 200 as opposed to the UKs outrageous £40/200 you’ll smoke anything you can get your hands on!
just wanted to second VERGEMINI’s response to the “usual” cigarette being more satisfying. i used to be a smoker and when you smoke a considerable amount, there is a considerable difference between brands and between strenghths (lights, mediums, 100s, etc). i don’t have medical info to back this up, but i think you can get addicted to the ingredients of a particular brand, and smoking another will satisfy the nicotine withdrawal, but is not satiating.