doc-alert

Anne LandmanPosting Date:  Wednesday, January 7, 2004
      Suggestion Concerning Advertising and Promotional Marketing (Via Decals W/
Subliminal Message). 

      Company/Source:  R.J. Reynolds
      Document Date: 02 Oct 1989
      Length: 1 page
      Bates No. 507747290   
      URL: http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/507747290-7290.html  
      PDF Version:
http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/cgi/getdoc?tid=mft14d00&fmt=pdf&ref=results 
   
          This draft letter appears to be written by an R.J. Reynolds (RJR)
employee, as it refers to "our coupons,"and "our younger smokers," and mentions
RJR brands.  While it reads like something from a marketing department employee,
the writer signed the letter with the title "Elec. Tech. #72111"
          The writer suggests RJR produce decals with cigarette brand logos on
them that would be "targeted to our younger smokers" who "might place them on
notebooks, lockers, purses, jackets or clothing items...". The writer says,

        "It is important that we develope [sic] either a series of 10 different
color schemes or 10 different decals for each brand targeted to our younger
smokers since they usually purchase one pack at a time...[E]ach carton will have
a complete series of decals and be much more attractive to our younger smokers."

          The writer suggests targeting both young smokers and non-smokers to
increase RJR's market share:

        "The youth of this day are very decal conscious and logo orientated
[sic]; Therefore, by targeting our younger smokers and non-smokers with quality
decals, we should be able to capture a larger share of that fast-growing
market."

         A search on the writer's name failed to reveal more information about
who this employee was or what department he actually worked in, but a search of
the adjacent Bates numbers proved quite revealing.   An adjacent  Bates
number-document (507747289) is a memo from RJR's Director of Special Markets
(T.C. Harris) revealing that Mr. Richardson formally presented his ideas to
RJR's marketing department, praising Mr. Richardson for his ideas, promising to
follow up on them and encouraging submission of these kinds of ideas from all
RJR company employees:  

        "Last Friday Lynn Beasley and I attended a presentation by John
Richardson in which he submitted his suggestions for a younger adult smoker
targeted decal program.  Not only did the presentation reflect a great deal of
quality thought and preparation, it also contained some excellent ideas...I
assure you that the program idea will be thoroughly evaluated and actively
pursued...Doug, on behalf of the entire Marketing Department, I would like to
thank you for soliciting this type of input from your people.  By focusing the
commitment of every employee of RJR against our key business issues, our chances
of finding the answers are bound to increase." 
       
http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/cgi/getdoc?tid=isv28c00&fmt=pdf&ref=results
      The above letter from Harris was written on 4 December 1989, just 2 months
after Richardson made his suggestion to target youth with cigarette-brand
decals.   This dispels the notion that Mr. Richardson might have been a "rogue
employee" acting without approval, and reveals that the corporate culture at RJR
encouraged all employees to think of, and suggest new ways to target youth.  


     
            Quotes (entire letter):

              To: Whom It May Concern:

              Re: Suggestion concerning advertising and promotional marketing
(via DECALS w/subliminal message)

              My suggestion is to place a quality decal i.e., the same size as
our coupons, in each pack of cigarettes to be used for promotional
advertisement. These decals could be targeted to our younger smokers who might
place them on notebooks, lockers, purses, jackets or other clothing items,
family boats, car or truck bumpers and/or windows etc..

              It's important that we develope, either a series of 10 different
color schemes or l0 different decals for each brand targeted to our younger
smokers since they usually purchase one pack at a time. If we use the Minnesota
Automation system and our decals (to be inserted) are seriesed in groups of 10,
then each carton will have a complete series of decals and be much more
attractive to our younger smokers.

              We could carry this a step further by developing a carton size
quality decal to be dispensed independently (free) through our vendor cigarette
display. This could provide product advertisement through many non smoking decal
users as well. The cover for the decal could contain such information as to how
one might obtain a complete series of decals; i.e., buy the carton.

              The youth of this day are very decal conscious and logo
orientated; Therefore, by targeting our younger smokers and nonsmokers with
quality decals we should be able to capture a larger share of that fast growing
market. / Please find enclosed an 8 minute VHS color video which encompasses
most of this communication and illustrates the two different size decals and
their applications. I am also enclosing 3 pack size decals for Winston, Magna,
and Chelsea respectively and one carton size decal for Winston all of which have
been created for actual size and color as intended.

              Thank you, for your time and consideration in this matter.

              Respectfully,

              John H. Richardson 
              Elec. Tech. #72111 
              #12 Downtown, 9-Shift

              ------------------------------------------------------------------

            Company: R.J. Reynolds 
            Author: Richardson, J.H. 
            Recipient: Presumed corporate recipient, R.J. Reynolds 
            Region: United States 
            Type: LETTER 
            Subject: Target/Young Adults (Target Groups)
            Target/Youth (pre-18) (Target Groups)
            youth
            youth initiation
            marketing strategy
            marketing
            advertising
            advertising to youth
           

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