"What we're about is giving adult smokers a choice," said Cressida Lozano, the executive in charge of marketing the new cigarettes, in an interview with the...

Ladies, If you are going to partake in an unhealthy and vile habit like smoking, why cheat yourself out of real tobacco flavor? That's the message of a new marketing campaign for Camel cigarettes and I think it's brilliant.

Well, that's not exactly the message of Reynolds American Inc. 's (NYSE:RAI) RJ Reynolds Tobacco unit., but it should have been. Women are equal to if not superior to men at everything, including smoking. Why should they put up with wimpy, menthol-laden cigarettes?

Reynolds is introducing a special Camel for women called No. 9, as in the song "Love Potion Number 9," with ads featuring the tagline "Light and Luscious," according to the New York Times. Notice how Reynolds subtly reminds people that cigarettes are nature's perfect appetite suppressant.

"What we're about is giving adult smokers a choice," said Cressida Lozano, the executive in charge of marketing the new cigarettes, in an interview with the paper, adding that the company wants to introduce products, "that add fun and excitement to the category."

Indeed.

The new Camels will be flogged in women's magazines and at nightclubs. Reynolds shouldn't forget neighborhood dive bars, fraternity parties, and mental hospitals.

Investors will no doubt be pleased that Reynolds is coming up with new, innovative ways to market its products. Health advocates are of course appalled.

Big tobacco, though continues to light up Wall Street. Shares of Reynolds American are up about 25 percent over the past year. Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO), whose brands include Marlboro and Virginia Slims, is up 20 while Carolina Group (NYSE:CG), parent company of the maker of Newport cigarettes, is up 62 percent.