Smoke And Mirrors

While recorded messages on 1-800 numbers rarely entertain, the telephone operators for tobacco company Brown & Williamson wanted their intro to have pizzazz. So B&W turned to one of its agencies, Bates, to find something livelier.
The New York shop’s tangy scripts have prompted a large increase in calls to 1-800-578-7453, a B&W representative said. The Louisville, Ky., company would not release figures, but word of mouth and the Internet has brought the number shown on Lucky Strikes Filters packs to wide attention.
The message begins with a voice asking all callers who are not smokers older than 21 to hang up.