Cigarettenfabrik Dressler KG

During the 1920s, many cigarette firms in Germany closed, and the market was increasingly dominated by a few large and highly automated manufacturers. By 1933, the Nazi party was attacking the tobacco industry for having foreign and Jewish connections.

In 1929, Arthur Dressler cut a deal with the SA: together, they would found a cigarette manufacturer, and SA members would smoke its cigarettes, with the SA getting a royalty of 15–20 pfennig for every thousand cigarettes sold (0.45–0.6% of sales price, given most cigarettes sold at 31⁄3 pfennig). At the time, the SA charged no membership fees and was thus financially dependent on donations from the Nazi party leadership; an independent income source was welcomed.

Approached through Saxon Nazi party leader Manfred von Killinger, SA-Stabschef Otto Wagener was interested and willing to put money towards an SA cigarette factory. The Nazi party offered 30,000 reichsmarks in start-up money and, as this was nowhere near enough, Nazi party supporter Jacques Bettenhausen invested another 500,000 reichsmarks. The Zigarettenfirma Sturm was founded, and registered as the Cigarettenfabrik Dressler.

The factory mainly produced four brands: Trommler (Drummer), Alarm, Sturm (Storm) and Neue Front (New Front). "Neue Front" was the most expensive brand, at six pfennig; "Sturm" cost five, and "Alarm" four. "Trommler" was the cheapest at 31⁄3 pfennig and, given the economic crisis, by far the most popular. In 1932, 80% of cigarettes sold were "Trommler", rising to 95% by 1933.

In early advertisements, all four main brands were listed; Nazi party imagery and the political slogan "Gegen Trust und Konzern" ("Against the [corporate] trust and the combine") were used. Later marketing focused on the "Trommler" brand. Apart from print advertising, the company owned a sound truck and hired advertising planes. Cigarette marketing reflected the political and economic situation. For instance, in 1930–1932, during the economic crash, advertisements showing catastrophic situations were common.

Sturm marketing was also used to make the prospect of serving in the German army more appealing. Cigarettes were sold with collectable sets of images of historical German military uniforms. While the SA was officially the sports and gymnastics division of the Nazi party, it was a successor to the banned Freikorps militias, and promoted itself as a military training program.

Adolf Hitler's opposition to smoking had limited effects on consumption and sales. While he ordered many localized smoking bans, they were widely ignored. The finance ministry appreciated the taxes tobacco brought in: by 1941, about a twelfth of state revenues. Aside from taxes, advertising revenues, and Sturm royalties and dividends, Nazi organizations accepted millions of reichsmarks in donations and bribes from the cigarette industry. The propaganda minister's view was decisive; Joseph Goebbels felt that cigarettes were essential to the war effort. Cigarettes were distributed free to soldiers, including minors, as part of their pay.