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VSLM PRINT ADVERTISING TEST APRIL 5 1991 PHILIP MORRIS KK MARKETING RESEARCH DEPT. s Msa+,asZ

OBJECTIVES : 1) TO ASSESS THE CURRENT VSLM PRINT ADVERTISING IN TERMS OF KEY AD MESSAGE/IMAGE COMMUNICATION AMONG VSLM AND REPRESENTATIVE FEMALE SMOKERS WITH BOTH QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACHES*. SPECIFICALLY TO MEASURE THE DEGREE OF CONSUMER COMPREHENSION OF "OLD TIME/NEW TIME" CONCEPT. * THE PURPOSE OF QUALITATIVE SURVEY IS TO OBTAIN MORE PROFOUND INSIGHTS INTO CONSUMER REACTIONS TOWARDS THE VSLM ADVERTISING THROUGH THEIR VERBATIM COMMENT ANALYSIS. 2) TO INVESTIGATE THE LEVEL OF ADVERTISING APPEAL OF THE VSLM AD. QUANTITATIVELY, AMONG REPRESENTATIVE FEMALE SMOKERS, RELATIVE TO SALEM LIGHTS PRINT AD. AS A CONTROL. AD EXECUTIONS TESTED: TEST CONTROL VSLM PRINT AD SALEM LIGHTS PRINT AD. (SINGLE -PAGE SIZE) (SINGLE PAGE SIZE) 1) QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH: "B-52" /"GOLF"* "NO.1 MENTHOL IN USA" / "FRESH SPIRIT" 2) QUALITATIVE RESEARCH : "B-52" / "GOLF" N A * "B-52" - 7 AN./FEB. '91, "GOLF" - MAR./APR./MAY '91 9106SOf,OSZ 1

METHODOLOGY: (ZUANTITATIVE RESEARCH TYPE OF RESEARCH : AD. FORCED EXPOSURE TEST INTERVIEW FORM/LOCATION : FACE TO FACE/PERSONAL INTERVIEW AT CENTRAL LOCATION RESPONDENTS ELIGIBILITY/QUOTA: FEMALES AGED 20-34, [VSLM AD. PANEL] 100 VSLM REGULAR SMOKERS* 100 REPRESENTATIVE SMOKERS* [SALEM LIGHTS AD. PANEL] 100 REPRESENTATIVE SMOKERS* * AGE/BRAND COMPOSIONS ARE IDENTICAL TO THOSE OF THE ACTUAL MARKET STRUCTURE DATES OF FIELD WORK : FEB. 23 - MAR. 2 '91 ~ t U6SQf7QSZ QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW ONE-ON-ONEIIN-DEPTH INTERVIEW AT RES. AGENCY'S INTERVIEW ROOM FEMALES AGED 20-34, [VSLM AD. PANEL ONLY] 10 VSLM REGULAR SMOKERS 10 OTHER BRAND SMOKERS* * ** MILD SEVEN (2), MILD SEVEN LTS. (1) CASTER (1), CASTER MILD (1) CABIN 85 MILD (1), SALEM LIGHTS (2) SOMETIME LIGHTS (2) FEB. 23 - MAR. 2 '91 2

VSLM POSITIONING VIRGINIA SLIMS LIGHTS MENTHOL IS A SLIM AND FASHIONABLE BRAND AND MAKES A BEAUTIFUL DIFFERENCE VSLM CREATIVE STRATAGY TO CONVINCE FASHIONABLE, MODERN, INDEPENDENT AND SELF-CONFIDENT WOMEN AGED 20-34 THAT BY SMOKING VSLM, THEY ARE MAKING BETTERIMORE COMPLETE EXPRESSION OF THEIR INDEPENDENCE s i asso+,0sz 3

CONCLUSIONS: 1) ADVERTISING MESSAGE/IMAGE COMMUNICATION OVERALL, VSLM PRINT AD. OBTAINED POSITIVE EVALUATIONS BOTH FROM VSLM AND REPRESENTATIVE SMOKERS. THEY WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN BUILDING STRONG BRAND IMAGES OF "FASHIONABLE", "SLIM" AND "TARGETTED AT YOUNG WOMEN", CONSISTENT WITH THE BRAND POSITIONING HOWEVER, ITS KEY AD. MESSAGE OF "OLD TIME/NEW TIME" CONCEPT WAS FOUND NOT TO BE HIGHLY COMPREHENSIBLE AMONG THE BOTH SMOKERS, WHICH APPEARED TO CAUSE THE WEAK BRAND PERCEPTION OF "INTELLIGENCE" I "SOPHISTICATION" AND THE LOW ASSOCIATION WITH INDEPENDENCE/SELF- CONFIDENCE OF MODERN WOMEN THE POOR MESSAGE COMMUNICATION MIGHT BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE AD. EXECUTION THAT TOO MUCH FEATURED THE FOREIGN MODELS IN ITS FOREFRONT, DISTRACTING VIEWER'S ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE MONOCHROMATIC PART, THE KEY VISUAL FOR CONCEPT COMMUNICATION THE COPYLINE OF "I AM SLIM" WAS REALIZED AS THE OVERALL AD. IMAGE, SLIM CIGARETTES AND THE BRAND SMOKER'S IMAGE, CONNOTED PRIMARILY BY THE MODELS IN THE AD. EXECUTION 6l 06SOf,DSZ 4

2) ADVERTISING APPEAL OF VSLM VS. SALEM LIGHTS PRINT ADS THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VSLM AND SALEM LIGHTS PP.1r:T ADS I~"; OVERALL nD. APPEAL TO REPRESENTATIVE FEMALE SMOKERS. THE BOTH BRAND ADS EQUALLY GENERATED THE HIGH LEVEL OF OVERALL LIKABILITY AND POSITIVE/FAVORABLE CONSUMER ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEIR EXECUTIONS HOWEVER, THEY SHOWED THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION RESULTS OF ADVERTISING/BRAND IMAGES. VSLM ADS ESTABLISHED A STRONG TARGET SMOKER IMAGE OF "GEARED TOWARDS YOUNG WOMEN", ORIGINATED IN THE MODELS VISUAL, ON TOP OF "FASHIONABLE", "MODERN" AND "APPEALING, WHILE SALEM LIGHTS ADS CONVEYED A STRONG EXECUTIONAL IMAGE OF "REFRESHING", STEMMING FROM THE SCENIC VISUAL, BESIDES "YOUNG" AND "EASY TO UNDERSTAND". THE REMARKABLE BRAND IMAGES PERCEIVED FROM THE ADS WERE AS FOLLOWS: VSLM - FASHIONABLE, MODERN/CONTEMPORARY, FOREIGN AND AMERICAN SALEM LIGHTS - REFRESHING, EASY TO RELATE TO AND UNI-SEX aza6safiasZ 5

SUMMARY OF KEY EVALUATIVE MEASURES VSLM PRINT AD SALEM LIGHT PR INT AD BASE: TOTAL RESPONDENTS VSLM SMOKE REP. FEMALE S MOK: REP. FEMALE SM OKER 100 100 100 0 OVERALL LIKABILITY (10 POINTS SCALE) TOP 3 BOXES (8-10) 58 50 61 MEAN SCORE 7.26 7.04 7.41 OVERALL IMPRESSION (SPONTANEOUS) POSITIVE COMMENTS (NET) 91 94 98 NEGATIVE COMMENTS (NET) 12 21 17 ATTITUDE TOWARD ADVERTISING (VOLUNTARY) POINTS LIKED ABOUT ADS. (NET) 100 99 93 POINTS DISLIKED ABOUT ADS. (NET) 67 65 60 UNDERSTANDABILITY POINTS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND (NET) 63 57 62 t Zd6S0t,0SZ 6

KEY RESULTS COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS PRINT AD. TESTS PRINT AD. TEST . VSLM SALEM LIGHTS PMSL MERIT VSLM REP. REP. PMSL COMPT. MERIT COMPT. 100 100 100 100 100 130 130 % % OVERALL LIKABILITY TOP 3 BOYES 58 50 50 34 34 29 23 MEAN SCORE 7.26 7.04 7.41 6.38 6.33 6.58 6.13 OVERALL IMPRESSION POSITIVE (NET) 91 94 98 78 81 83 75 NEGATIVE (NET) 12 21 17 23 19 25 35 ATTITUDE TOWARD AD. LIKES (NET) 100 99 98 78 88 92 89 DISLIKES (NET) 67 65 60 52 50 78 82 POINTS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND (NET) 68 57 62 34 43 42 54' zz06s0+,asz

MESSAGE/IMAGE COMMUNICATION OF VSLM PRINT ADS VSLM SMOKER VS. REPRESENTATIVE FEMALE SMOKER £ZQ6SOf,USZ s

OVERALL LIKABILITY VSLM SMOKER REPRESENTATIVE FEMALE SMOKER 100 loo o ;o TOP 3 BOXES (8-10) 58 50 MIDDLE 4 BOXES (4-7) 38 46 BOTTOM 3 BOXES (1-3) 4 4 MEAN SCORE 7.26 7.04 NOTE: 10 POINTS RATING SCALE (10=LIKE IT VERY MUCH, 1=D0 NOT LIKE IT AT ALL) +,zo6sot,asz 9