America's favorite cigarette break.
Benson and Hedges was the second big account to come to Wells Rich Green in the 1960s, because executives thought that Lawrence would know what to do with a cigarette for women. Originally, Philip Morris, makers of Benson and Hedges, thought that a fashion edge would be the key to advertising. The agency decided that the edge was the extra cigarette smokers got at no additional cost. Pall Mall Gold was longer at the time, but it wasn't emphasizing extra length. This left the door open for Wells Rich Greene to create the funny, light advertising about silly troubles people would get into if they weren't used to smoking long cigarettes. Cigarettes were caught in elevator doors and caught in people's beards. It was a new way to advertise cigarettes- entertaining and irreverent. In 1967, Benson and Hedges was the fastest growing brand in the country.
That was only the beginning of a long relationship between Phillip Morris and Wells Rich Greene. After the U.S. surgeon general determined that smoking was "hazardous to your health," Wells Rich Green almost lost the account due to the fact that the original idea was for television and no print translation had been made. With late night adrenaline and pizza, creatives Charlie Moss and Stan Dragoti created the line, "America's favorite cigarette break," that saved the account.