Objective To analyse trends in cigarette brand preference among Mexican smokers during the implementation period of key WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control recommendations.

Methods Data came from two nationally representative, comparable surveys, namely the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2009 and 2015 and the National Survey on Addictions 2011 and 2016. Logistic models were used to estimate the adjusted prevalence of each brand purchased, as well as individual correlates of purchasing the single brand with a large growth over the study period. Multiple linear regressions were also employed to analyse cigarette prices across brands.

Results Six brand families accounted for about 90% of the cigarette market, with Marlboro clearly dominating all brands at 54%–61%. Only the share of Pall Mall brand, however, registered a rapid increase over the period—from 1% in 2009 to 14% in 2016. Women and younger smokers (15–24 years) were more likely to prefer Pall Mall over other brands. While the typical price segmentation between international (premium) brands and national (discount) brands was observed, the price of Pall Mall is within the range of the latter. Importantly, most varieties of this brand include flavour capsule varieties (FCVs).

Conclusions This study suggests that the strong campaign of brand migration, the pricing strategy and the aggressive introduction of FCVs expanded Pall Mall in the Mexican cigarette market. Therefore, better control policies of cigarette contents and taxes that reduce price differentials across brands should be encouraged to promote public health.