Anne Landman's Collection
BJ EXPLORATORY FOCUS GROUPS
Abstract
This R.J. Reynolds "secret" document was a discussion of focus groups held to figure out how to market a new brand of cigarettes ("BJ") to young adult smokers.
Note the rather pejorative comments about about the people participating in the focus groups:
"Smokers in the groups were generally somewhat downscale or at most lower-middle class...They are more or less ordinary, and their wants are pedestrian...Their leisure time activities are very much "what everyone does." They tend to live life within relatively narrow, predictable limits..."
Note the surprise (disappointment?) of the observer when he finds that his "targets" do not fantasize about wealth and belonging to a higher class:
"We asked smokers to fantasize and describe their ideal evening. What was most apparent in the ensuing discussions was that the fantasies were all within the realm of posslbility--they were merely extensions of, or deepenings of, their normal leisure time activities. The fantasies were not imaginative; they were not radical departures from reality. Examples are: - driving around, a couple drinks, a girl - a good meal, drinks, a show - drinking until I black out - cocktails, dinner, a show, my place - bar, large T.V., friends, girl, beer - expensive dinner - barbeque, drinking
... After these fantasies were discussed, we asked some of the groups to "try again" and to let all stops out. Here, they were able to come up with fantasies that tended to involve being in a higher soclal class. For example: - chauffeured limousines - going to Europe - buying a 747 and loadlng it with girls."
Fields
- Quotes
Five focus group discussions were conducted in Chicago on July 25 and 26. All groups consisted of 18 to 25 year old full flavor smokers. Two groups were non-menthol men, two were menthol men, and one was menthol women. Smokers in the groups were generally somewhat downscale or at most lower-middle class. After initial warm-up, smokers were questioned in detail about their lifestyles and attitudes. This was followed by a discussion of their perceptions of cigarettes in general (i.e., how they segment the market) and about specific major brands. Both product and user perceptions were discussed...
What are the smokers in BJ's target like?
Summary The tone of the groups suggests the target is "MAINSTREAM." They are more or less ordinary, and their wants are pedestrian. They do not appear to be "turned on" by things that are different/non-conforming (i.e., unusual drinks, avant-garde movies, sports that aren't really established) Their leisure time activities are very much "what everyone does." They tend to live life within relatively narrow, predictable limits. Group participation is paramount--they are not loners. Typical clothes are jeans, short sleeve colored T-shirts--few wore what might be considered stylish clothes. Few wore shirts that were half unbuttoned. Hair was generally scraggly and long. (An interesting point worth remembering is that these smokers do not seem to view disco as a desirable activity.)
Discussion: Smokers were questioned in-depth about their attitudes, lifestyle and leisure time activities. One of the first things I noticed, based on experience with other groups, is that these young adult male smokers are very concerned about saying the right thing--conformity to peers, as can be seen below, is vital...
We asked smokers to fantasize and describe their ideal evening. What was most apparent in the ensuing discussions was that the fantasies were all within the realm of posslbility--they were merely extensions of, or deepenings of, their normal leisure time activities. The fantasies were not imaginative; they were not radical departures from reality. Examples are: - driving around, a couple drinks, a girl - a good meal, drinks, a show - drinking until I black out - cocktails, dinner, a show, my place - bar, large T.V., friends, girl, beer - expensive dinner - barbeque, drinking
Women were not substantially different except that romance appeared to be more frequent. After these fantasies were discussed, we asked some of the groups to "try again" and to let all stops out. Here, they were able to come up with fantasies that tended to involve being in a higher soclal class. For example: - chauffeured limousines - going to Europe - buying a 747 and loadlng it with girls.
As a hypothesis, the fact that the smokers tend first to fantasize about "doing what they do but doing it better" rather than "doing something totally different" suggests that posslble images for BJ should be something that is familiar to {and not superior to) the target. This famil- larity could be based on llfestyle (i.e., a van, a motorcycle, a neighborhood bar) or it could be based on something history has made familiar (i.e., the cowboy, an ocean-going fisherman, an adventurer)...
- Company
- R.J. Reynolds
- Author
- Novak, G.
- Region
- Chicago
- United States
- Type
- Report
- Memorandum
- Stamped RJR SECRET
- Operation/Project
- BJ - New cigarette for young adult smokers (YAS)
- Subject
- New Products
- Research
- Targeting
Document Images
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July 30, 1979
Mr. G. Novak
Re: BJ EXPLORATORY FOCUS GROUPS
This reports hypotheses generated from the initial BJ focus
groups, as well as possible implications and next steps.
,
The groups were conducted to address three questions:
1. What are the smokers in BJ's target market like:
(18-24 male full flavor smokers)
- what do they do, what do they like?
2. How does the target market think of (i.e., categorize)
cigarettes, and what gap might exist in Marlboro's
franchise among these smokers?
3. What are initial reactions to a variety of brown
colored BJ prototypes?
As background, BJ is envisioned as a cigarette that will draw
business from young adult male full flavor smokers (many of
whom are smoking Marlboro). Currently, it is being considered
as a brown cigarette. It differs from "BY" in that it is tar-
geted toward the "hard core" full flavor smokers rather than
those who are looking for a low tar alternative.
~..
Because of timing constraints, this report is a compilation of
both my hypotheses and the moderator's (Vincent Bryne) hypotheses.
As such, it is somewhat longer than a typical MRD summary. As
with all focus group reports, this report should be used as a
starting point in developing hypotheses about BJ and BJ's target.
It should not be used to develop firm conclusions or to initiate
actions which would dramatically limit BJ's alternatives.
METHODOLOGY:
Five focus group discussions were conducted in Chicago on July 25
and 26. All groups consisted of 18 to 25 year old full flavor
smokers. Two groups were non-menthol men, two were menthol men,
and one was menthol women. Smokers in the groups were generally
somewhat downscale or at most lower-middle class. After initial
warm-up, smokers were questioned in detail about their lifestyles
and attitudes. This was followed by a discussion of their percep-
tions of cigarettes in general (i.e., how they segment the market)
and about specific major brands. Both product and user perceptions
were discussed. Finally, panel members were exposed to six brown
cigarette prototypes and were asked likes/dislikes and product and
user perceptions.
~
!
Mr. G. Novak
Page Two
July 30, 1979
(Note: The format that follows is: (1) Discussion of the three
major topics. The first two topics have a summary section fol-
lowed by detail discussion; the third topic only has a discussion;
(2) Implications/next steps.]
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS:
I. What are the smokers in BJ's target like?
Summary: The tone of the groups suggests the target is
"FAZNS'fREAM." They are more or less ordinary, and their
wants are pedestrian. They do not appear to be "turned on"
by things that are different/non-conforming (i.e., unusual
drinks, avant-garde movies, sports that aren't really
established). Their leisure time activities are very much
"what everyone does."
They tend to live life within relatively narrow, predictable
limits. Group participation is paramount--they are not
loners. Typical clothes are jeans, short sleeve colored
T-shirts--few wore what might be considered stylish clothes.
Few wore shirts that were half unbuttoned. Hair was generally
scraggly and long.
(An interesting point worth remembering is that these smokers
do not seem to view disco as a desirable activity.)
Discussion: Smokers were questioned in-depth about their
a i u es, lifestyle and leisure time activities. One of the
first things I noticed, based on experience with other groups,
is that these young adult male smokers are very concerned
about sa in the ri ht thin --conformity to peers, as can be
seen e ow, is vital.
Leisure Time Activities: For men, frequent visits to local
ars were common. T ey usually drank beer (vs. mixed r3-inT~cs)
an~-often drank Stroh's, or Old Style (a Chicago "Pabst" from
what I gather). If they had extra money, they would splurge
on Heniken or Michelob.
Bars are a social activity; men do not drink alone--they
either go witfi friends or meet them there. Part of the
pleasure of the bars is the comfortable social situation.
As such, drinking at neighborhood bars is more common than
drinking at "in places"--they meet friends at these bars and
feel comfortable in them.
Sports are also popular among this target, but only the "big"
sports appear to be very popular. Baseball, football, and
Monday night T.V. football are most liked, and softball seemed
to be a relatively common participant sport. Hiking, jogging
I
Mr. G. Novak
Page Three
July 30, 1979
h
r
and backpacking were mentioned--but to a much less extent.
Interestingly, less mainstream sports (soccer, hockey, tennis,
even bowling) were hardly even mentioned.
Discos were not volunteered as a frequent activity. Even
w en asked point blank abotlt discos, these smokers generally
said the did not go to discos. The few tTa t did go to
scos seeme , ju gmenta y, to be more stylish than most.
Some said they had gone but thought discos now were "all the
same" and that they are going out of style.
BJ's target attends movies fairly frequently. While men
enjoyed adventure moves more and women enjoyed romantic
movies more, I got the impression that they generally watched
the big popular movies (Alien, Rocky II, Deerhunter, Dracula).
Few smokers mentioned Woody Allen, Humphrey Bogart or avant-
garde movies.
~Readi~n : Ma azines seemed to be more popular than books,
and the most popu ar magazines seemed to be sports (Sports
Illustrated, S ort~s) or "hobby" (Cycle~, Car and Driver, Hot
o, Fi.e and S r am). Peo le was atso mentione by the
groups an Tzme an Newswee were read, but not as often.
Pla bo and Penthouse were also mentioned. Women differed
rom t e men ma n y n`.that they replaced Sports/Hobby maga-
zines with Good Housekee in ("I'm getting married soon and
have to learn that stu f sometime") and Cosmopolitian. People
was read frequently and was seen as a "gossipymagazine.
Ideal Eveni~nq : We asked smokers to fantasize and describe
t eir i ea ~evening. What was most apparent in the
ensuing discussions was that the fantasies were all within
the realm of ossibilit --the were merel extensions of,
or dee en n s of, t e r norma leisure time activities. The
antasies were not mag natlvel they were no ra i.ca depar-
tures from reality. Examples are:
- driving around, a couple drinks, a girl
- a good meal, drinks, a show
- drinking until I black out
- cocktails, dinner, a show, my place
- bar, large T.V., friends, girl, beer
- expensive dinner
- barbeque, drinking
Women were not substantially different except that romance
appeared to be more frequent.
After these fantasies were discussed, we asked some of the
groups to "try again" and to let all stops out. Here, they
0
.
I
Mr. G. Novak
Page Four
3uly 30, 1979
were able to come up with fantasies that tended to involve
being in a higher social class. For example:
- chauffeured limousines
- going to Europe
- buying a 747 and loading it with girls.
As a hypothesis, the fact that the smokers tend first to
fantasize about "doing what they do but doing it better"
rather than "doing something totally different" suggests
that possible images for BJ should be something that is
familiar to (and not superior to) the target. This famil-
iarity could be based on lifestyle (i.e., a van, a motorcycle,
a neighborhood bar) or it could be based on something history
has made familiar (i.e., the cowboy, an ocean-going fisherman,
an adventurer).
II. How does the tar et think of (and cate orize) ci arettes?
What gaps mig t exist in Marlboro?
Summa : BJ's target de ents the market only in ve basic
ways non-filter/filter, ment ol non-menthol, lights-low tars/
regular). They do not have much top-of-mind awareness of
low tars, and they view low tar ci arettes as all the same--
they are totally unaccepta le because of lack of/bad taste.
Low tar does not appear to be a motivator; if anything,
its connotations suggest negatives.
Menthol smokers smoke menthol as an alternative to non-menthols.
Most have tried non-ment o s and switc e to ment o s because
of harshness. Non-menthol smokers, on the other hand, tend not
to view menthols as an a ternative--menthols are out of t eir
frame o re erence except as an occasional change.
Kool differs from Salem in that Kool is stron er, more "macho,"
more-"with it". Salem is more feminine an more se ate.
Winston if ers from Marlboro only in terms of imagery; pro-
uct characterist cs seem com arable. Winston's image is less
e ine , w i e Mar oro s is one o popularity, masculinity,
and independence. Additionally, Marlboro does not appear to
be at the end, or even near t e end, of its life cycle among
these smo ers-- ere just is no other alternative.
Marlboro's vulnerabilit does not a ear to lie in its product;
it must lie in its ima er . These groups only touched the
sur ace o t iS.an more work appears necessary to find such
a gap.
Discussion:
1. Market Segmentation: Panelists were asked to split the
market any way they could, and breaks were minimal.
,
F
Mr. G. Novak
Page Five
July 30, 1979
Basically they broke:
- non-filter/filter
- menthol/non-menthol
- lights (low tar)/regular
and to a lesser extent:
- length
- feminine/non-feminine
Low tar cigarettes were not subdivided--an ultra-low
category was non-existent. Not surprisingly, they did
not divide cigarettes based on usage occasion.
2. Low Tars: Many smokers had tried low tars at some pointf
ow~`ever, there was almost a total rejection of low tars.
This rejection was based primarily on ac of taste,
and secondarily on draw and poor taste. Low tars just
did not deliver what they want/expect/get from their
full flavor brands.
There was little top-of-mind awareness of low tars; in
fact, low tars were all grouped together--somewhat
disdainfully--as "off-the-wall brands." Non-filters
(Camel, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, even Old Gold) were
mentioned substantially more frequently than low-tars.
BJ's taraet does not seem to consider low tar as much
o a motivator. In act, low tar seems to have little
or no appea to this segment and at least one reason is
the lack of taste associated with it. Low tar actually
may be a negative to these smokers.
Perceptions such as these about low tar cigarettes lead
to the hypotheses that:
(1) BJ must differentiate itself from all the other new
ran s. This target mar et seems to group a new
brands' together as low tar and unacceptable.
BJ must be seen as bein as good as current full
flavor ran s--not merel better than current ow
tar brands.
(2) IIJ need not necessaril be a low tar brand. If it
s a ow tar brand, it ma be best that ow tar not
e p aye up.
3. Menthol/Non-Menthol Cate ories and Brands: Many menthol
smo ers seemed to e previously non-ment ol smokers. They
switched to menthol as an alternative to non-menthols
because of negative characteristics they were beginning
t
!
Mr. G. Novak
Page Six
July 30, 1979
.
to get from non-menthols--particularly harshness and
scratchiness. Non-menthol smokers, on the other hand,
appeared not to consider menthol as an alternative to
non-menthol. It's something they don't consider except
as an occasional change of pace.
In terms of specific brands, Kool and Salem were the
dominant menthol brands. Most of t ese menthol smokers
came to their particular usual brand because of friends
or family who smoked it or because it was one they
borrowed from others and began to like. It was inter-
esting to note that smokers did not usually seem to
mention product characteristics as a reason for switchin
to t e r s ecific usual brand--product characteristics
were vita in eep ng someone who switched but not in
getting them there.
Kool differed from Salem in that it was seen as the
strongest menthol around. It was more "macho" and was
perceived to be smoked by "with-it", popular, and self-
confident smokers. Typical smokers seemed to be Clint
Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Paul Newman, Clark Gable and
James Coburn. As we've seen previously, Kool appears to
be the menthol equivalent of Marlboro
Salem was perceived as being smoked by more "sedate"
peo e--more feminine, middle class, professional. Salem
smokers might be Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas or Soupy
Sales. Its main perceived product difference vs. Kool
was that Salem was milder.
Ne rt had less well-defined user imagery. In general
o~, its product image was more negative than Kool's
or Salem's in that it was perceived as worse tasting/
leaving a bad aftertaste.
Turning to non-menthols, Winston is perceived by BJ's
target to be smoce more y~iddle class, relatively non-
~excitin peopld. It does not have a clearly defined i am ge
in-terms of personalities (i.e., it was very difficult
for respondents to think of specific people who would
smoke Winston).
In terms of product characteristics,'Winston appeared
to be about the same as Marlboro--it had no product
s ortcomings. T is suggests at, not surprisingly,
reasons for smoking Marlboro over Winston revolve around
imagery (this is discussed more in the next few paragraphs
on Marlboro). Interestingly, when we asked which brand--
Marlboro or Winston--was a"~rebellious" brand, Winston was
picked a little more frequently than Marlboro. Winston was
seen as rebellious versus norms of a pee_ rgrou~,an it -
oes not appear that re ellion from peers is good.
Mr. a. Novak
Page Seven
July 30, 1979
Marlboro, relative to Winston, did not have a substantiall
erent ro uet maqe, ut t have a_muc more s arr Y
e ne an more osit~v,-user ima e. A Mar oro sm er
was more rugge , mascu ine, se -con dent, and free. In
fact, the Marlboro man seemed to epitomize everything a
"he-man" is. A typical smoker would be Robert Blake,
Clint Eastwood, or John Wayne.
Marlboro was the most popular brand among these young
adult smokers. Reasons for this, to cite two, are:
- all of their friends smoke it (and this group
is terribly anxious to conform to peer behavior).
i
- it represents--because of the image of the
Marlboro man--freedom, control of one's life,
masculinity, a certain rebelliousness/independence
from non-peers, a way to make a statement.
Importantly, despite the fact that Marlboro has been
around for some time, there was no indication that Marlboro
was be innin to, or would soon e i.n to, wear out. W at
as appene to Winston or Bu weiser ecom ng a rand
of the "establishment") does not seem to be happening to
Marlboro among BJ's target.
This is interesting, because it could be hypothesized
that younger adult smokers would prefer a more up-to-date
brand to make their statement of independence. Perhaps
the sta with Marlboro because it is comfortable--a
known ent t that the know will make the statement the
want to ma e. Mar oro is not a ra ica departure from
w at s -aimiar, and it appears that BJ's target is not
_t~re_~nd ~--they want to do what they know i-Ts aeady accept-
abTe to their social group.
In terms of possible areas of vulnerabilit in Marlboro,
or t is target, it does not appear t at t ere are any
product weaknesses. Marboro's taste and strength, etc.,
are totally acceptable and deliver to expectations. As
pointed out earlier, lower tar and nicotine is not a
motivator. BJ's target will not sacrifice taste and
flavor for less tar and nicot- s.
Since Marlboro does not seem vulnerable in terms of product,
it _ is _h_vpothesized_that_ the __potential _for_a new_br_and
would have to rest in the image area. The brand would
have to project an image that has all the positive attri-
butes of Marlboro, that is immediately comfortable and
acceptable to peers, and that actually outperforms
Marlboro's image in at least one key area. While this
may sound obvious, it is necessary to mention.
E
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Mr. G. Novak
Page Eight
July 30, 1979
These groups did not give us total guidance on how to
achieve this, but perhaps the following thoughts are a
start:
independent and individualistic from other
groups but readily acceptable by peers
masculine
familiar yet adventurous
mainstream, not trendy
rugged, self-sufficient
a fantasy within the realm of possibility, not a
fantasy that is unachievable
I
,
III. What are Initial Reactions to Brown Cigarette Prototypes?
[Note: Respondents were exposed to 6 prototypes: 2 that
were all dark brown (one from Matt Sherman, one that was
as ca y a s ort More--it had two gold stripes around the
filter), 1 that was all tan (an RJR prototype), and 3 2-tones
(tan filter and brown cigarette, tan filter and dark brown
cigarette, and dark filter and tan cigarette).]
Imelication of color: All the cigarettes seemed to be per-
ceived as being stro~n er, ricier and fuller tastin . The
strengt percept on had ot pos t ve and negative connota-
tions; some felt it would be too strong, others did not.
In general, the amount of strength seemed related to the
darkness--the darker the brown, the stronger the product.
All the prototypes were perceived as bein different. While
they were not totally unaccepta~le because o t is, it is
important to keep in mind that these smokers do not want to
be very different. This su ests that BJ would ave to give
believable reasons w it is brown (i.e., mellower flavor,
etter taste, etc; s i it was merely perceived as bein
different for difference s sa e, it would not be accepted.
Dark brown was sometimes seen as being almost too different
or use on a regular basis. It was viewed almost like a cigar
(very strong) and projected a smoker image of a crusty, 80
year- old man. Dark brown with gold stri es on the filter
suggested stylis ness, an an upscale, successful person. Tan
was more in the realm of possibility for some groups and
seemed to project a younger adult, more outdoorsy smoker.
Two-tone cigarettes were the most flashy and trendy. Respon-
dents w o liked the two-tone prototypes did so because of
their difference from others--two-tones did not appear to
be a mainstream possibility.
Mr. G. Novak
Page Nine
July 30, 1979
.
.,
In general, brown cigarettes do not seem to suggest menthol--
they are not seen as refreshing. (Note: While More cigarettes
have as strong a menthol share as non-menthol, this is judg-
mentally because More's main reason for being (stylishness)
supercedes menthol/non-menthol boundaries.1
At the end of the groups, smokers were offered some of the
prototypes to smoke. Since the blends were not representative
of any actual product, it is inappropriate to discuss reaction
to taste/satisfaction. However, it is worth mentioning that
the cigarettes, especially the tan prototype, did not seem
quite as flaky/trendy when they were smoked as when they were
seen in the abstract. That is, they looked relatively "in
place" in a smoker's hand.
IV. Possible Implications/Next Steps
Based on these group discussions, the following implications
were derived. Bear in mind that these are nothing more than
hypotheses--appropriate next steps should be directed toward
"proving/disproving" these hypotheses rather than taking
specific or limiting market actions.
1. Low tar is not vital to the tar et--it should not interfere
wit t e esire product user perceptions.
2. The product has to be as good as their usual brand; it
cannot be just the best low tar a ternative. T e target
is not interested in sacrificing.
3. BJ must disassociate itself from the glut of other new
ran s, most of which are perceived as low tar, off-the-
wal'l, and unacceptable.
4. BJ must be an acceptable "mainstream" brand. It should
not be novel or trendy. It should be evolutionary, not
revolutionary.
5. To be acceptable to this target, BJ almost needs to create
a mass migration of peer group members to the brand.
6. To beat Marlboro, imagery appears to be the key.
The imagery should show something within the realm
of possibility, not something that is far out7-
unac iev e.
BJ has to "outcowboy" the cowboy. Judgmentally, it
is inappropriate and self-defeating to believe, at
this stage, that the cowboy cannot be beaten.
f
.
. ..
.t - ... y
Mr. G. Novak
Page Ten
July 30, 1979
7. Brown may have potential, but smokers would have to
view brown as a le itimate element of the ci arette
at en ances rea wants enefits. Brown cannot be
percesve as brown for rown s sa e.
In fact, because of this target's need not to be differ-
ent from peers, if brown cannot be viewecFas a legitimate
element, a brown cigarette may be more appropriate for
some other target. (For example, if brown can only be
made a legitimate element of a low tar cigarette and
not a full flavor cigarette, it may be better targeted
against smokers who are interested in less tar.)
8. A variet of brown color o tions should be maintained at
least t roug deve opment o testl.ng of a vertis ng
strategies. At that time, we could determine which
coloring supports the strategy the best. It would be
appropriate to include a "standard" style cigarette
as well.
In terms of next steps, it seems appropriate to consider
development of a variety of possible images that communicate
the cowboy's benefits as well/better than the cowboy does.
To this end, a structured idea generation session (such as
Synectics) would probably be beneficial. Since I don't think
we have found such an image, a session such as this could
broaden our perspective. As a starting point, some of the
topics that would, be dealt with would be-
; tf,vt.,/ 64rf ykYf fy.a-9f. R4ecti R/ .4 y: r~'S/ffOILT
How can we make a familiar yet adverturous image.
What are fantasies that are in the realm of possi-
bilities for BJ's target.
How do you make a cigarette that is perceived as
independent from non-peers but readily acceptable
to peers.
What is it about the cowboy that makes it so
successful. How else can this be accomplished.
How do you create a mass migration to a new brand.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, please
let me know.
Alan R. Cox
Marketing Research Department
ARC:dc
cc: Mr. C. A, tin; Mr. T. L. Ogburn, Jr.; Mr. S. Strawsburg,
Mr. D. P.r,' (BBDO) ; Ms. M. Cavell (BBDO)
