Tobacco Documents Online

Project TF Target Smoker Profile.

Abstract

R.J. Reynolds' "Project TF" (which stands for "Tomorrow's Female") was an effort to design and market a cigarette to poor, young, less-educated women. RJR felt it was important to market towards this group since the cessation rate among women wasn't at as high the cessation rate among men:

"Female smokers represent an increasingly important source of business. While smoking incidence among both 18-34 male and female smokers has declined since 1980, the rate of decline is greater for male smokers versus female smokers."

Market research showed that these women didn't like smelling bad or offending others with secondhand smoke, so the TF cigarette would be designed to "address female smokers' cosmetic and social acceptability concerns about cigarette smoke." Specifically, "THE TF TARGET HAS STRONG WANTS FOR THE TYPE OF PRODUCT THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED, I.E, A SMOOTH, SATISFYING TASTE, A PLEASANT SMOKE AROMA, AFTERTASTE AND LESS OFFENSIVE TO NON-SMOKERS..."

Race of the "target" was also considered:

"Most of TF's target is white; the inclusion of menthol within the target brings a large proportion of black smokers."

This report explores this particular demographic group of women in order to determine ways to better make the cigarette appeal to their psychological wants and needs.

Fields

Quotes

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

A. AGE/RACE

TF's TARGET SMOKERS ARE YOUNGER ADULT FEMALES-HOWEVER, THE WANTS/ATTITUDES OF THE TARGET REFLECT THE WANTS/ATTITUDES OF THE 21-34 YEAR OLDS, SINCE THEY REPRESENT ABOUT 90% OF THE TARGET-

MOST OF TF's TARGET IS WHITES; THE INCLUSION OF MENTHOL WITHIN THE TARGET BRINGS A LARGE PROPORTION OF BLACK SMOKERS...

...THE TARGET'S ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME SHOWS THAT THEY HAVE A SOMEWHAT LOWER STANDARD OF LIVING, RELATIVE TO THE CIGARETTE MARKET, PERHAPS DUE TO THE HIGH PERCENTAGE OF SINGLES WITHIN THE TARGET-

TF TARGET

INCOME 0-$15,000 40% $15,001-$25,000 28% $25,001+ 32%

TARGET SMOKERS ARE LESS EDUCATED -- ONLY 9% HAVE GRADUATED COLLEGE.

EDUCATION TF TARGET

HIGH SCHOOL OR LESS 54% MORE THAN HIGH SCHOOL 45%

...TF TARGET FINDS AFTERTASTE, SMOKE ODOR AND SMOKE TO BE OFFENSIVE ASPECTS OF SMOKING...TF TARGET CONSIDERS TF'S BENEFITS TO BE VERY IMPORTANT. THEIR USUAL BRAND, HOWEVER, DOES NOT COMPLETELY FULFILL THEIR WANTS FOR FEMININE IMAGERY, SENSITIVITY, AND A PRODUCT THAT DELIVERS A FRESHER AFTERTASTE...

...THE TF TARGET WANTS TO BE SEEN BY OTHERS AS A WARM AND CARING, LIKEABLE, AND FEMININE WOMAN MORE THAN AS A HARD-CHARGING CAREER WOMAN FIGHTING HER WAY UP THE CORPORATE LADDER...

...TF's TARGET WOULD LIKE OTHERS TO SEE THEM AS DEPENDABLE PEOPLE WITH THE CONFIDENCE AND WILLINGNESS TO MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES, REGARDLESS OF WHAT IS POPULAR OR TRENDY. TARGET SMOKERS WANT TO BE VIEWED AS DOWN-TO-EARTH PEOPLE WHO GET THE FACTS BEFORE MAKING A DECISION--THEY ARE DELIBERATE RATHER THAN IMPULSIVE.

THE TF TARGET WANTS TO BE SEEN BY OTHERS AS A WARM AND CARING, LIKEABLE, AND FEMININE WOMAN MORE THAN AS A HARD-CHARGING CAREER WOMAN FIGHTING HER WAY UP THE CORPORATE LADDER...

Company

R.J. Reynolds

Author

Presumed corporate author, R.J. Reynolds

Recipient

Presumed corporate recipient, R.J. Reynolds

Region

United States

Named Person

B&W

Lorillard

Philip Morris

RJR

Type

REPORT

Operation/Project

Project TF (Tomorrow's female)

Today's Female

Subject

target market

Target/Low-Income (Target Groups)

Target/Women (Target Groups)

Target/Young Adults (Target Groups)

market segment

market share

marketing research