Product Attribute Image Study. Exploratory Research.

Anne Landman's Collection

Product Attribute Image Study. Exploratory Research.

Date: Aug 1981
Length: 36 pages
501983273-501983308
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Abstract

This fascinating marketing report for R.J. Reynolds plumbs the imagery that smokers have of various types of cigarettes and suggests that these images can be used to improve cigarette marketing and advertising. The introduction states the report's intended use:

"It is envisaged that the report will be used as a reference document when designing marketing programs in which various attribute 'components' must be blended with theme advertising into coherent sets of symbols that powerfully address consumer benefits..."

Statements of intended uses for the report are followed by the findings of focus group testing about cigarette imagery. As an example, the report discusses images smokers have of non-filter cigarettes:

"...smokers tend to regard non-filter products as 'traditional', strong, high tar cigarettes that are smoked by rugged, male, blue collar workers... Some smokers believe that non-filter cigarettes provide more pleasure than filter products. However, they also perceive that it is necessary to suffer unpleasant sensations to attain this pleasure. They believe, for example, that non-filter cigarettes are especially -- even unpleasantly -- strong and 'difficult to take'...They are tantamount to a test, and a demonstration, of virility. Smokers believe that 'you'd have to be a real man to handle a cigarette like that.' In turn, the blue collar image of non-filters derives in part from this image, since the more active and physically oriented worker is perceived, as "more of a real man" ....The use of these allegedly 'dangerous' products acts as a further test and demonstration of masculinity, since 'real men are unafraid of danger.'..."

From the section of the report about low tar cigarette imagery:

"Moderation behaviors in general -- including switching to low tar cigarettes -- are perceived as 'intelligent' behaviors. The benefit of low tar is not that it enables the smoker to appear intelligent, but rather that it enables him to 'be' intelligent -- that is, to act and feel intelligent."

The document implies that the tobacco industry caters to the images smokers already have of certain types of cigarettes, including the notion that some cigarettes are safer, and (whether this information is factually correct or not) trades on these notions.

Fields

Quotes

NON-FILTER

Non-filter cigarettes evoke clear product and user images. In summary, smokers tend to regard non-filter products as "traditional", strong, high tar cigarettes that are smoked by rugged, male, blue collar workers...

Product challenge implies masculinity

Some smokers believe that non-filter cigarettes provide more pleasure than filter products. However, they also perceive that it is necessary to suffer unpleasant sensations to attain this pleasure. They believe, for example, that non-filter cigarettes are especially -- even unpleasantly -- strong and "difficult to take", that they can cause unexpected pain by tearing skin from the lips, and that they have a tendency to deposit bitter tasting strands of tobacco in the mouth.

These unpleasant sensations are a direct cause of masculine imagery. They are tantamount to a test, and a demonstration, of virility. Smokers believe that "you'd have to be a real man to handle a cigarette like that", In turn, the blue collar image of non-filters derives in part from this image, since the more active and physically oriented worker is perceived, as "more of a real man" than the more sedentary-and cerebral white collar worker.

Perceived risk implies masculinity and blue collar

The high tar levels of non-filter cigarettes are a further contributory factor to masculine imagery. Publicity concerning the alleged health risks of smoking have caused these definitely high tar cigarettes to become regarded as risky--even dangerous. The use of these allegedly 'dangerous' products acts as a further test and demonstration of masculinity, since "real men are unafraid of danger." However, risk taking need not only be interpreted as masculine courage; it can also be regarded as ignorant folly. The downscale imagery of non-filter cigarettes derives in part from this overtone of their high tar content. Due to the alleged health risks attending these cigarettes, they are increasingly regarded as "the unintelligent choice", and are thus ascribed to the less educated blue collar worker.

Overtones of dirt

Non-filter cigarettes are perceived by many smokers to be "dirty and grubby". These feelings derive, for example, from the products' tendency to deposit tobacco in the mouth, and the resultant need to remove this tobacco by some socially dubious strategy such as expectoration. The "dirty" image of non-filter products is felt to be more appropriate for blue collar workers, who are permitted in most cases to become dirty during the course of their work.

[From Page 12, Bates No. 501983284]:

High tar filter cigarettes can act as a self expressive vehicle for those men who wish to display their masculinity... The category can attract those smokers who desire a "down-to-earth" downscale cigarette user image, without necessarily being incompatible with stylishness...

[From Page 14, Bates Nol 501983286, under the section about LOW TAR cigarettes]:

Moderation implies intelligence

The "low tar with taste" attribute is not totally devoid of imagery. Moderation behaviors in general -- including switching to low tar cigarettes -- are perceived as "intelligent" behaviors. The low tar category, therefore, has an intelligent user image.

It should be noted that this research provided absolutely no indication that smokers might adopt low tar cigarettes to project an image of intelligence to an external audience. On the contrary, the low tar decision appears to be made for personal satisfactions -- which include the inner feelings that the smoker has behaved intelligently. The benefit of low tar is not that it enables the smoker to appear intelligent, but rather that it enables him to "be" intelligent -- that is, to act and feel intelligent.

[From Page 15, Bates No. 501983287, under section entitled "LONG CIGARETTES"]:

LONG CIGARETTES

Image is conveyed by shape, not length alone

This research suggests that smokers attach imagery to the shapes of various cigarettes rather than simply to their lengths...

Long and slender artifacts are intrinsically feminine

Long slender cigarettes -- in particular, slim 120mm products -- have feminine images because the very concept "long and slender" is intrinsically feminine. Female fashion models tend to be long and slender, whereas males tend to be broader. Within the cocktail category, "women's drinks" tend to be served in long slender glasses, whereas "men's drinks" are served in fatter "chunky" glasses. The heels on very feminine women's shoes are high and narrow, whereas men's heels are low and broad...Most importantly of all, women tend to regard the ideal feminine hand to be long and slender.

Cosmetic functions

Just as the desired long and slender shape of a woman's hand can be accentuated by the practice of growing long finger nails it can also beaccentuated by the use of of long slender cigarettes...Thus, long slim cigarettes -- especially the 120mm category -- are an intrinsically feminine shape, and can accentuate the slender shape of a woman's hand. This, in turn, enhances the woman's aura of femininity.

Fragility implies femininity

Further, long slim cigarettes have an appearance of delicacy and fragility -- in the literal sense that they look easier to break than, for example, a regular king size product. It can be noted that these notions of frailty are directly related to the classic "delicate" feminine stereotype. Women can thus use long, slender cigarettes to become attractive to males, by implicitly projecting the "submissive" feminine image discussed in Section Two.

[From Page 18, Bates No. 501983290]:

Everyman's category

In that it is relatively devoid of imagery, the 85mm format is particularly appropriate for smokers who wish not to make strong statements about themselves.

...Indeed, a king size high tar non-menthol cigarette would be the ideal choice for the smoker who wishes to minimize social risk by reducing the ability of other smokers to draw conclusions about his personality from his cigarette. Therefore this configuration is by far the predominant choice among young adult males, who tend to be highly sensitive to social risks among their peer group.

[From Page 29, Bates No. 5019833011]:

...The above findings regarding the uses and meanings of cigarette imagery remain tentative and incomplete. We suggest, however, that they point the way to important new learning that might help RJR deploy imagery to greater effect in the future...

Company

R.J. Reynolds

Author

The Beaumont Organization

Recipient

R.J. Reynolds

Region

United States

Type

MARKETING RESEARCH

Subject

Document Images

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The Beaumont Organization, Ltd. 535 Fifth Avenue Suite 611 New York New York 10017 (212) 986 9575 PRODUCT ATTRIBUTE IMAGE STUDY EXPLORATORY RESEARCH Prepared for: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco August, 1981

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PREFACE This report discusses the images of various product attributes, and traces these images to causal aspects of the attributes themselves. It is envisaged that the report will be used as a reference document when designing marketing prograrrls, in which various attribute "components" must be blended with theme advertising into coherent sets of symbols that powerfully address consumer benefits. Since this document supplies detailed reference material, no attempt will be made to summarize it in this introductory note. It should, however, be mentioned that a second section of this document explores certain hypotheses, deriving from the current research, that address the very nature of image positionings within the cigarette category. The findings in this section, although currently tentative, appear to offer the foundation for an innovative series of research and marketing programs in the area of personal imagery. We recommend this topic as a subject for RJR's continuing basic research.

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.1, CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------- 1 METHOD -------------------------------------------------------- 2 SECTION 1: UNDERLYING MEANINGS OF PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES Non-filter ---------------------------------------- 5 High tar filter ----------------------------------- 7 Low tar ------------------------------------------- 9 Long cigarettes ----------------------------------- 13 85mm cigarettes ----------------------------------- 16 Menthol vs. non-menthol --------------------------- 17 Soft pack vs. box --------------------------------- 19 White filter -------------------------------------- 20 Brown filter --------------------------- ----------- 21 SECTION 2: GENDER DISPLAY AND CLASS DISPLAY Gender and class symbols: communicative display -- 23 Masculine and feminine imagery -------------------- 24 Stylish imagery ----------------------------------- 25 Marketing implications of gender and class display- 26 APPENDIX Moderator's guide ---------------------------------- 29

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INTRODUCTION This document summarizes the results of the intitial exploratory stage of a two-stage research program: the Product Attribute Image Study. The eventual aim of the PAIS program is to provide guidance regarding the manner in which various product attributes -- shape, filtration, mentholation, etc. -- affect smokers' perceptions of brands and products. This information is expected to improve RJR's ability to blend various product communication channels -- such as branding, theme advertising, style variables, and formulation-- into appropriate, harmonious, and powerful statements of consumer benefits. RJR plans to measure the image implications of product attributes in a subsequent quantitative stage of the research program. The exploratory research was conducted for two purposes. Firstly, it was required to hypothesize the types of messages that might be present within product attributes and thus to provide guidance in designing the quantitative questionnaire. Secondly, and more fundamentally, it was required to probe the underlying reasons for these attribute meanings, thus providing a depth of understanding that the quantitative research in isolation would be unlikely to achieve. The current document, therefore, explores various product attributes in terms of their symbolism to the consumer. In each.case, discussion commences with a brief summary of the imagery that is hypothesized to derive from a product attribute. Then a more detailed discussion is provided regarding the underlying reasons for this imagery. A final report section explores some further hypotheses deriving from this research, dealing with the inner meanings of two common aspects of cigarette brand imagery -- "masculinity/femininity" and "stylishness". Distinctions are drawn between these types of imagery -- in terms of the types of smoker to whom they would appeal, and the reasons for seeking such symbols in a cigarette.

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METHOD Four focus group discussions were conducted with smokers in August, 1981. Each group comprised 10 smokers, recruited by RJR so as to include users of a variety of different cigarette styles. Two of the discussions were held in Dallas Texas; two in Port Chester, New York. In each city, one of the discussions was with female smokers, the other with males. A copy of the moderator's guide used in this research is provided in the Appendix. In summary, discussions commenced with an exploration of various sterotyped person- alities, designed by RJR to reflect the six segments of cigarette brands currently used as the basis for its planning. Respondents were required to "design a cigarette" for each sterotype in terms of stylistic characteristics such as shape, mentholation, etc. The moderator probed for the underlying factors linking cigarette attributes to userimagery and product benefits. Subsequent discussion focussed on each cigarette attribute in turn, in order to provide exhaustive probing of all the product, societal, and personal connotations of particular cigarette design components.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE As with all exploratory research, it is necessary to caution the reader that the discussion in this document is based on an extremely limited sample of respondents, and has not yet been proven to represent the broader population of cigarette smokers.

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SECTION 1 UNDERLYING MEANINGS OF PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES

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NON-FILTER Non-filter cigarettes evoke clear product and user images. In summary, smokers tend to regard non-filter products as "traditional", strong, high tar cigarettes that are smoked by rugged, male, blue collar workers. These perceptions charac- terize both non-filter brand styles and brand families -- such as Camel -- that smokers perceive to have a non-filter origin. Product challenge implies-ma3culinity Some smokers believe that non-filter cigarettes provide more pleasure than filter products. However, they also perceive that it is necessary to suffer unpleasant sensations to attain this pleasure. They believe, for example, that non-filter cigarettes are especially -- even unpleasantly -- strong and "difficult to take", that they can cause unexpected pain by tearing skin from the lips, and that they have a tendency to deposit bitter tasting strands of tobacco in the mouth. These unpleasant sensations are a direct cause of masculine imagery. They are tantamount to a test, and a demonstration, of virility. Smokers believe that "you'd have to be a real man to handle a cigarette like that". In turn, the blue collar image of non-filters derives in part from this image, since the more active and physically oriented worker is perceived as "more of a real man" than the more sedentaryand cerebral white collar worker. Perceived risk implies masculinity and blue collar The high tar levels of non-filter cigarettes are a further contributory factor to masculine imagery. Publicity concerning the alleged health risks of smoking have caused these definitively high tar cigarettes to become regarded as risky -- even dangerous. The use of these allegedly "dangerous" products acts as a further test and demon- stration of masculinity, since "real men are unafraid of danger".

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However, risk taking need not only be interpreted as masculine courage: it can also be regarded as ignorant folly. The downscale imagery of non-filter cigarettes derives in part from this overtone of their high tar content. Due to the alleged health risks attending these cigarettes, they are increasingly regarded as "the unintelligent choice", and are thus ascribed to the less educated blue collar worker. Overtones of dirt Non-filter cigarettes are perceived by many smokers to be "dirty and grubby". These feelings derive, for example, from the products' tendency to deposit tobacco in the mouth, and the resultant need to remove this tobacco by some socially dubious strategy such as expectoration. The "dirty" image of non-filter products is felt to be more appropriate for blue collar workers, who are permitted in most cases to beco^e dirty during the course of their work. Overtones of agedness Smokers tend to feel that many older people smoke non-filter products. They recognize that non-filter products have been available longer than filter products, and conclude that an older person who was "set in his ways" might never have proceeded beyond this, his initial, categQry of cigarette. However, although the other overtones of the non-filter image discussed above tend to act as symbols for the smoker, this does not seem to be true in the case of agedness. Thus, whereas a young adult smoker using a non-filter product may be viewed as ruggedly masculine in a blue-collar manner, he will not tend to be viewed as "similar to old people". The perception that older people smoke non-filters thus tends to be a "factual" view of the world, with no deeper and generalizable connectedness to inherent character- istics. ~ a ~ m W N W -6- N

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HIGH TAR FILTER High tar filter cigarettes tend to be regarded as strong products with masculine user images (except, for reasons to be discusses subsequently, when these cigarettes are in 100mm or 120 mm formats). Strength implies masculinity As in the case of non-filter cigarettes, the masculine image of high tar filter products derives in part from their perceived product strength. This strength is capable of standing as a test of the smoker's virility, in the sense that "strong brands are for strong people". Perceived risk implies masculinity Also as with non-filter cigarettes, the relatively high tar content of these products, coupled with publicity concerning the alleged health risks of smoking, imbues them with a sense of risk and danger. Thus, high tar filter cigarettes are associated with the typically male stereotype of "being prepared to take risks to get what he wants". High, but not maximum, strength and risk Although high tar filter cigarettes are perceived to be masculine, this is not the same extent as in the case of non-filter products. High tar filter products provide less of a "challenge" to the smoker, in that they are perceived to be not quite so strong. Further, filter products do not cause pain by tearing the skin, or discomfort by leaving loose tobacco in the mouth. Finally, these products require less "courage", in that their tar content is perceived to be not quite so high as non-filter cigarettes, and they are thus perceived as not quite so dangerous. -7-

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