One size does not fit all: how the tobacco industry has altered cigarette design to target consumer groups with specific psychological and psychosocial needs
by Cook B, Ferris Wayne G, Keithly L, Connolly GAnalysis of internal industry documents provides the most direct means for assessing whether cigarette design changes have been used by the tobacco industry to target specific psychological and psychosocial needs. First, we determine how needs-based segmentation has been utilized within the industry. Second, we identify experiments that matched cigarette design to correspond to these identified needs-based segments, and show how these studies translated into new product development. We find that the industry altered product design to target smoker groups with similar psychological and psychosocial needs. These findings have implications for tobacco cessation as well as for the regulation and monitoring of the tobacco industry.