Tobacco Documents Online

THE WINSTON BRAND IMAGE Prepared for R. J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY, INC. By SOCIAL RESEARCH, INC. Project Staff: November 1982 Sidney J. Levy, Ph.D. Albert G. Robles Study: #757/08

TABLE OF CONT ENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 I. WINSTON AND MARLBORO: -PARALLELS AND SIMILARITIES 5 II. THE SMOKERS 7 III. CIGARETTE BRAND IMAGES 37 IV. IMPLICATIONS 129

1 INTRODUCTION The study reported here is a qualitative investiga- tion of attitudes toward the Winston brand family. The study has two primary objectives: (1) to identify the image of the Winston brand, partic- ularly as it Is differentiated from the Marlboro brand Image, and (2) to describe and understand the smokers to whom these two brands appeal. Findings are based on personal interviews with 120 respondents in Atlanta, Boston, Houston and San Francisco. All respondents are between the ages of 18 and 60, smoke non-menthol cigarettes, and smoke at least half a pack of cigarettes. a day. None has participated in any kind of cigarette re- search in the past 12 months. The sample is com- posed of four cigarette brand quotas : 40 Winston smokers, -41 Marlboro smokers, 19 Camel smokers, and 20 Other Brand smokers. Demographic char- acteristics of the sample are presented in the Sample Description tables on the following pages.

2 SAMPLE DESCRIPTION N=120 CITY N Atlanta 30 Boston 30 Houston 30 San Francisco 30 TOTAL 120 SEX N Men - 73 W omen 47 TOTAL 120 CIGARETTE BRAND SMOKED N Winston 40 M arlboro 41 Camel 19 Other: Merit 3 Kent 2 Pall Mall 2 Pall Mall Gold _ 1 Raleigh Filter King 1 Lucky Strike Filter 1 Parliament Lights 1 Benson a Hedges 1 Barclay 1 Vantage 1 Virginia Slims 1 True 1 Tareyton 1 More 1 Kent Golden Light 100's 1 More Light 100's 1 TOTAL 120

3 SAMPLE DESCRIPTION (continued) N=120 AGE N 18 to 24 42 25 to 34 47 35 to 60 31 TOTAL 120 MARITAL STATUS ' N Married 66 Divorced /Widowed /Separated 14 Single 40 TOTAL 120 FEMALE HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD EMPLOYMENT N Full-time Part-time Not employed No female head of household 34 20 40 26 TOTAL 120 RESPONDENT EDUCATION N Some high school 4 High school graduate 45 Some college 52 College graduate 14 Postgraduate 5 TOTAL 120

4 SAMPLE DESCRIPTION (continued) N=120 TOTAL ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME N Under ;15,000 $15,000 to $19,999 $20,000 to $24,999 $25,000 to $29,999 $30,000 to $39,999 $40,000 to $49,999 $50, 000 and over No response 16 25 15 17 21 11 12 3 TOTAL • 120 NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN HOUSEHOLD N One 13 Two 23 Three 25 Four 36 Five 15 Six or more 8 TOTAL 120

5 I WINSTON AND MARLBORO: PARALLELS AND SIMILARITIES The main thrust of this study is to understand the image of the Winston brand, particularly as it com- pares with the Image of the Marlboro brand: At 'a secondary level, the research also notes the image of the Camel brand. For many people, Winston and Marlboro share many characteristics. The perceived similarities, stemming from various sources, observations and assumptions, include the following: Both brands are regarded as old, long-estab- lished brands in the cigarette market. It is widely assumed that these are two of the most popular cigarette brands. Smokers of each brand have frequently smoked the other brand at some point in their smoking history. - People who do not smoke either brand report that they have smoked one or both in the past, generally giving these up in the move toward lighter cigarettes. For many emokers of each brand, the other brand would be a likely second choice, or one they might purchase if their own were not avail- able. At a superficial level, the package colors and graphics are cited as resembling each other. Underscoring these perceptions is the prevalent view that the two brands are more directly com- petitive with each other than with other brands.

6 In spite of these resemblances and parallel position- ings, people are able to make distinctions -- some subtle, some more overt -- between the two brands in terms of product characteristics, brand imagery and likely smokers. The following chapter discusses the differences be- tween Winston smokers and Marlboro smokers. Also included is a briefer discussion of the Camol smoker. Chapter III will focus on the distinctions that people make between the brands in terms of product char- acteristics and imagery. ~

7 II THE SMOKERS This chapter discusses the people who smoke Winston, Marlboro and Camel: their personalities, their orientations toward life, and their attitudes' . toward smoking. WINSTON SMOKERS Winston smokers see themselves as middle-class eo le who endorse traditional values. They place importance on ac e ng t e conventional s goals of different life stages, such as education, marriage and family, and job success. They re- member being well disciplined and well behaved as children. With their commitment to generational continuity, they seem interested in maintaining these characteristics and instilling them in their children. They feel that they are responsible and dependable adults with a mature outlook on getting ahead financially and getting what they want and deserve out of life. "I work in a furniture store warehouse. I like photography and camping. I'm just somebody who tries to achieve the better, things. I guess people think I'm a good person. I've got a lot of friends." (Man, 18-24, Winston Lights)+ "I'm a junior in college majoring in chern- istry. . I enjoy swimming, boating and especially skiing. I am also an avid reader. I have two brothers and a sister. I would describe myself as outgoing. Other people say I'm responsible, dependable, fun to be with. My childhood was like millions of other middle-class Americans." (Man, 18-24, Winston Regular) *Quotat ons are identified by sex, age, and cigar- ette brand smoked.

8 "I sell fittings to nuclear power plants. I like hunting and water sports. I'm not married. I'm easygoing. I like to fill my days having a good time when I'm not at work. Others would say I'm easygoing. As a child, I was a pretty good kid, got along with my folks and with other kids." (Man, 25-34, Winston Lights) The take pride in their middle-of-the-road life st le. They want to be regar as sol types w o can be counted on to be consistent and predictable. They avoid extreme positions, preferring the middle ground, exercising cautious reserve about important moves and major decisions. Whether they are in white- or blue- collar occupations, they seem pleased to describe themselves as average or ordinary. In their social interactions, they like a smooth, un- ruffled path. They do not like to make waves by antagonizing others or by calling undue attention to themselves. As a result, they feel they are respected and well liked by an acceptably broad circle of friends. This is not to suggest that they think of themselves as weak or indecisive. They feel that they have strength of character and the maturity to conduct ~ themselves with dignity and in .soc y acc e ways. In this context, one woman makes the careful distinction that she is "assertive" rather than "aggres-. sive. " "I'm a salesman on the road selling men's and boys' soft goods to the retail trade. My in- terests are family activities, summer trips, television and sports. We are average middle class. I'm careful about major decision making. People think I'm a good, honest, hard-work- ing person and extremely sociable. I had a good average home life as a child." (Man, 35-60, Winston Regular) "I'm a warehouseman. I like to hunt and fish. Fishing is number one. I'm married and have two kids. I'm just a good ole boy, just regular. I'm just an average blue-collar-type person." (Man, 25-34, Winston Lights) m 0 v r v m m 0) 0