Strand was a brand of cigarette produced by W.D & H.O. Wills (part of Imperial Tobacco) in the early 1960s. The launch was accompanied by a huge television advertising campaign. The advert depicted a dark, wet, deserted London street scene in which a rain coated character lights a cigarette and puffs reflectively. A voice over declared 'You're never alone with a Strand'. It is not dissimilar to the later Hamlet cigar promotion. Despite (or possible because of) this creatively sound campaign, the brand failed and was soon withdrawn. It is widely regarded as the least successful British television promotion ever.
