A Philip Morris brand first introduced to national markets in January 1976, Merit used the positive connotation of its name in order to attract consumers. The word merit denotes a product worthy of praise or deserving of respect. Philip Morris had seen the competitive value of a so-called "health cigarette" following the first
Surgeon General's report on cigarettes in 1964. Over the course of the next 12 years Philip Morris worked on such a product, culminating in the 1976 product launch of the Merit brand. One key tactic was to "enrich" the product by applying extensive efforts in flavour chemistry and additives. Philip Morris seemed proud of the fact that they had managed this while using "less than 100 flavorants". While the advertising did boast about the product being "enriched", it did not disclose any of these less than 100 flavouring chemicals to consumers. Internal industry documents reveal that in order to convince consumers that Merit had low tar as well as great taste, the ads had to be absolutely believable because the false claims of past years and past brands presented road-blocks. An extensive consumer testing programme of the brand was eventually conducted, including blind interviews with nearly 3000 smoker panellists. The majority of consumer participants reported that the new MERIT was equal or superior in taste to brands that delivered 60% more tar. Advertisements touted the product’s 'enriched flavor' and described, "After twelve years of intensive research, Philip Morris scientists isolated certain key ingredients in smoke that deliver taste way out of proportion to tar". This brand went on to capture a significant share of the low-tar cigarette market following its national launch in 1976. ==Advertising==