Brown & Williamson
Smoking-Cigarettes and Advertising
Fields
- Type
- MRPT, MARKETING REPORT
- REPORT
- Characteristic
- MARG, MARGINALIA
- MISS, MISSING PAGESMN Selected
- Original File
- Nfi
- Date Loaded
- 23 Nov 1998
- Request
- H83
- J102
- Attachment
- 320000
- Litigation
- 10004026
- Brand
- Kool
- Marlboro
- Newport
- Viceroy
- Winston
Document Images
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$MOKINC - CIGARETTES AND ADVERTISING
INTRODUCTION
"C1garet=e smoking is dangerous for your health" £$ agreed by all.
People ~ believe that a non-smoker has better chances of staying
haalthy. Howeve~ ~eo~le 4o smoke and even en~y it.
~%ui~g ~$, i~ a ~ay~ Z Very strange hu~ ~ctlvi~yw a ~ery 6tT~.ge
habit. This is one of very few things that people who do it a~e fully
aware of its negative value, are not really happy w~th it, not really
p~oud of i~ do not see much good i~ it, ~erhaps ewe~ kite it ~ hut
still do it.
According to smokers "smoking is a dirty habit", smoking is "a habit of
only very stupid people". The smoking habi~ is basically a
habit that in one way or anoth~r~ ~stly Indlree~ly~ Aerves some positive
~alues. Smokers are not able, even when trying hard, to explain the
actual ac~ of smoking by any ~ terms. The only positive things
that are said about smoking ha~e CO do with the ~rceived "benefits" the
smoker believes he or she is receiving from i~.
THE ONE POSITIVE VALUE THAT IS DIRECTLY
ATTRIBUTED TO THE CIGARETTE ITSELF IS THE
T~:~J[E" EVIDENTLY, SMOKERS DEVEL0~F~ TASTE
FOR~ CIGARETTE. SMOKERS LIKE A SPECIFIC
TASTE OF A SPECIFIC BRAND ANDD~SLIKE (OR
EVEN HATE) THE TASTE OF OTHER CIOAAETTES.
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HOWEVER, THE LIKING OR DISLIKING OF
CIGARETTE TASTE IS SOMETHING WHICH CAN
BE DEVELOPED RATHER THAN BEING VIEWED AS
AN ABSOLUTE VALUE.
However, there is a problem with "tast~'. This cigarette element has
been p:e-empted by advertising for many brands, and at the present, it
is almost impossible to know if the taste s~kers talk about is something
which they, themselves attribute to a cigarette or Just a "play-bae~' of
some advertising messages.
For the smoker, the cigarette itself is perhaps a friend that one might
love in spite of the fact that the attributes and qualities of this
friend are rather negative, and the benefits received, could he dangerous.
"l know my cigarette will kill me but I can not live
without it".
"The cigarette is hot, smelly, staining and harsh. The cigarette
causes bad breath, coughs, bad taste in mouth. The cigarette can, and
probabiy will, cause lung problems, throat problems, heart problems,
death -- but I smoke because I must, because 1 really want to .....
Thus, the smokers have to face the fact tha= =hey are illogical,
irrational and stupid. People find it hard to go throughout llfe with
such negative presentation and evaluation of self. The saviours are
the rationalization and the r~resslon that end up and result i~ a
defense mechanlsm that, as many of the defense mechanlsm~we use, has
its own "logic", its own rationale.
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101773

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Because people believe that s~Oklng is bad for health yet,
they keep, smokln8~ a rather ~trong defense ~echanlsm i$
operating to cover the gap betveen "dont ~i and "I do"°
This defense mec~nls~ is bsslcally a represslon of t~e
£dea that nltts had"° "I ~t do.it wa~t to thi~k ahc~t ~'°
Thus, smokers do~vt llke to be rem~nded of the f~ct t~t they
a~¢ illogical a~4 irzatlo~a1° ~aey don't ~nt to ~e ~e~inde~
by either direct or ~ndirect ~nner.
An i~dlrect rem~nde~ could be a te~slon-creati~g s£t~t~on~
a~ ~iet~-pzo~ci~g ~tmosphe~o
This ~epress~on-d~rected defense mec~a~is~ i~ the baslc underly£ng resson
why people explai~ their reasons for smoking as ~ell as descrlbe the
Te~rd~ etc.
~he £~li~a~io~ o~ thls ~oi~t is ~hi1~ s~ ad that ~eplc~s a~ e~clti~,
i~vi~orating sltuat~on could be interes~i~ to the smoker-v~ewerI the
very th~ li~e se~arati~ poslt~e exclte~ent from ne~atlve-cre~In~
$1t~ation should ~ever be ~rossed.
-3-
191774

ELEMENTS OF GOOD CIGARETTE ADVERTISING
NOW TO REDUCE OBJECTIONS TO A CIG#~RETTE
Cigarette advert~slng is s unique and different category of advertising.
Most adver=Islng for other products presents real, or at least accepted,
benefits, values, attributes~ e~4-~esults~ etc, oI the product it
"pushes", sells. Cigarette advertising can not do the ssme. There
are not any real, absolute, poslti~e qualities and attrihutes in a
clgarette and no one, even the most devou~ smokers, could believe any
glorification or lles about It.
More than this, the more positive values cigarette advertlsing is cry-
~ng to communicate, the less i~ is bel~eved and the more it i$ d~sllked.
The m~re a cigarette ad is dishelleved~ the ~ore it "fiKhts" ~he defense
mechanlsm of the Smoker -- the more th~ Smoker feels challenged -- the
m~re the s~ker hat~s it.
Thus, the more effective cigarette advertising is the one ~ha~ can
reduc~e o.q~ectlons co the brand of cigarette it sells, rather than attempt
to co~unicate a glorified "story" thaC no one can believe, that no one
can Idencify with.
BELIEVABILITY IN, AND IDENTIFICATION WITH A
CIGARETTE AD CAN BE SETTER ACHIEVED BY THE
SITUATION ET PRESENTS RATHER ~ By THE COPY
IT FEATUP~ES. THERE IS VERY LITTLE ONE CAN SAY
ABOUT A CIGARETTE THAT COULD BE PERCEIVED AS
POSITIVE, HONEST AND BELIEVABLE. THE COOD,
" -12- 101783

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~ Create Fluid Rather Than Boxed Ads - People react be=ter to cigar~tte
a~ti~e~ntB that ~T~ ble~ in n~tu~ T~heT ~han fTa~e~.
Almost without a~ exception all respondents ltrongly dis°
liked ~he red top an~ botto~margins on the Viceroy ads.
To them these ~arE~ns considerably added to the Rrtff~cial,
tautj constrained an~ plast~cb un~alistic ~a~e and
atmosphere.
-- Be I~terest~ - ~re~e~t p$ctures that are l~terest~ng by themselves~
not necessarily as p~rt o~ ~e advertisinE concept.
People are being bombarded with so ~uch advert~sin~ that
while flippin~ through a ma~azine if their ~nd tells the~
that they are look~n~ at an advertisement, unless there'6
someth~n~ ~nter~6~n~ ca~chy~ attract~ve~ etc.~ ~n the
~icture ltself~ ~e~e wil~ not stop to loo~ at it. ~t
should be clearly understood that ~az~ne or a~y other
print advert~si~ i$ hein~ viewed an~ ~udsed hy the people,
by using televisioa comerc~als as parameter of ~ud~ement.
People lr~ used to movi~E tcenes, $o~ds~ ~s~c~ e~c.~
and ~ print adve~tisement~ while beinE s~ationa~y in nature,
has to a~empt to convey ~terest and at~raction.
-- Be ~oaes~ - ~a s~it~ of the £ac~ that "hone~t~ is the best ~o1£c~"~
~t is not always the case -- try to he hones~ ~ your
p~ese~at~on -- ~on~t make pro~i~es that you yoursel~
know could never he fulfilled. S~ar~ ou~ from ~he basic
assumption that cigarette ~oking $8 dangerous to your
h~alth -- try to go around it ~n ~n elegant man~er but don~
try to f~ght ~t -- it's a los~ng wa~.
-17-
ii ~i'll 4 ~ '~
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HOW CAN
N
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RODUCE STARTERS A~ SWITCHERS
TO OUR BRAND
i
"Fnis section presents a few h~heses rather than tested, proven Systems.
The hypotheses presented here were created on the basis of the exploratory
phase of this study•
STARTERS
With only very few exceptions, young people start to smoke because of 1
their peer group. If they are with friends who smoke, they smoke too.
The brands they adopt as "cheir brands" are also, usually, the same ones
that are being smoked by their friends. Almost every young smoker started
his "smoking llfe" by "h~ing" cigarettes from friends prior ~o startlng
to buy his/her own. It is rather clear that the taste and flavor of a
elgarette has very little to do with the process of selectlon of the brand
b~ the youn$ smoker• People develop taste prefer~nce~ or at least bel~eve
they do, only after a notlceehle period of "organized" smoking.
There are basically ~wo categorles of cigarettes that appeal to the younE
starter more than others Menthol and Full Flavor cigarettes. The mmst
popular methol cigarette is Rool followed by Newport and the most popular
full flavor clgare~te is Marlboro, followed by Winston.
For the young smoker, the cigarette is not yet an integral part of l~fe,
of day-~o-day life, in splte of the fac~ that they try to project the image
Of a regularI run-of-the-mill smoker. For them a eigarette~ and the whole
umokln~ process, is par~ of the illlclt pleasure category. This illicit
pleasure will lose its illlcltness once ~hey grow older and are fully ~'
accepted into the adult society. In the young smoker'A mind a cigarette
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101-500
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7falls into tile same category with wine, beer, shaving, wearing a bra (or
~not wearing one), ~eclaration of independence and strlvin~ for
Self-ldentity. For the Fount $tarter~ a cigarette is assoclated wlth
introduction to s~x life~ wlth courtsblp~ with smoking 'tpot" and keeping
late Studylng hours.
Fo~ the youn~ smoker~ the ci&aret~e Is
a clean]soclally acceptahle~ (to a degree
at least), co~unlcatlo~ symbol of maturity,
Iophisticatlon and adulthood. The clgarette
is the entrance ticket to the hall of the
I~it society°
Ho~ever~ it should be noted that the smoking sca~e -- "C1$arette smoking
~s d~ngerous to your health'*, couD1ed ~ith the fact that ~odaF~s £oclety
is much more permissive and a11ows many mote manifestatlo~s of ~gulthood
tha~ In the past~ reduced~ ~omewhat, ~he ~mport~nt attached to the ~igar-
ette as the initiation into the adult world,
~f yeats ~go it ~as a~ than bee_.=.~t,
the o~der ~$ almost ~eversed -- afte~
lhav~ng -- s~x -- be~r M ~ne B ttpot~l _-
I clg~rett~,
Thus, ~ attempt to reach young ~moke~s~ Star~e~s should be b~se~ &mo~g
others~ o~ the ~ollowlng majo~ parameters:
-- P~esent the clga~ette ~s one of a few $~itlatlon~ into
the adult wor1~.
~q
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101S01
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-- Present the cigarette as a part of the illicit ;
pleasure category of products end activities.
-- Don't force your brand on the starters. They
dontt take orders. They are not yet as tame as
//~/
the "liberated" adul~ society. ~a
cigarette.
-- Consider a sampling technique to allow the young
starters to actually try your brand. (They have
very little ability to really compare, but they
would like to see themselves as having this ability.)
-- In your ads create a situation taken from the day-to-
day llfe of the young smoker but in an elegant manner
have this $~tuatio~ touch on the basic s~bols of the
growlng-up, maturity process.
-- To the best of your ability, (considering some legal
constraincl), relate the =~garet=e to "pot", wine,
beer, sex, etc.
-- In a subull, almost ambiguous ~anner poin~ out the
unique differences of your brand. Indirectly you must
give ~hn young s~oker a "logicsl" reason for i~okl~g
your brand.
(Many of the young smokers interviewed indicated tha~
Marlboro is ~oo popular °.. "everyone smokes Marlboro,
tbat'~ why ~ smoke something else".)
-- Do, it co~unicate health or health-~elated points.
L~
~V
101802
