Doral cigarettes were introduced by RJ Reynolds Tobacco in 1969 when cigarette consumption in the United States was still growing. Doral cigarettes were offered in a full variety of shapes and flavors. At that time all cigarettes carried the same price at retail, so the only point of difference from one cigarette to another was the marketing image created by the manufacturer. In the early 80's, black and white generic cigarettes started to show up in the marketplace at prices well below the established brands. At that point RJ Reynolds got the idea that if they reduced the pricing of one of their established brands they could prevent the black and white cigarettes from capturing market share. Doral cigarettes were the brand they chose and it marked the beginning of tiered pricing in the US cigarette market. Today there are four or five major cigarette price points at retail, and Doral cigarettes were the first major cigarette brand paving the way.