From: anne@tobaccodocuments.org
Date: Mon, 11/20/06
Anne LandmanCONFIDENTIAL Research Planning Memorandum on Some Thoughts About New
Brands of Cigarettes for the Youth Market.
Company/Source: R.J. Reynolds
Document Date: 02 Feb 1973
Length: 12 pages
Bates No. 502987357/7368
URL of this Summary: http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/502987357-7368.html
Doc-Alert message archive URL:
http://www.smokefree.net/doc-alert/messages/247154.html
Document Images: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/act68d00
From the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR), here is one of the most
compelling documents describing efforts to market cigarettes to youth. In this
document, Claude Teague of RJR's research department muses about how to attract
"pre-smokers" or "learners" to smoking in a marketplace where the company cannot
do so overtly:
"It should be said that we are presently, and I believe unfairly, constrained
from directly promoting cigarettes to the youth market..."
"Realistically, if our Company is to survive and prosper, over the long term,
we must get our share of the youth market. In my opinion, this will require new
brands tailored to the youth market..."
Teague discusses how RJR can exploit the psychological needs of youngsters by
developing a new cigarette brand tailored specifically for this age group:
"Pre-smokers learn to smoke to identify with and participate in shared
experiences of a group of associates. If the majority of one's closest
associates smoke cigarettes, then there is strong psychological pressure,
particularly on the young person, to identify with the group, follow the
crowd...This provides a large incentive to begin smoking...Thus a new brand
aimed at the young smoker must somehow become the 'in' brand and its promotion
should emphasize togetherness, belonging and group acceptance, while at the same
time emphasizing individuality and 'doing one's own thing.' "
Amazingly, Teague considers how RJR's deadly products can be used to help
enhance the "fragile, developing self-image of the young":
"C. Self-Image Enhancement - The fragile, developing self-image of the young
person needs all of the support and enhancement it can get. Smoking may appear
to enhance that self-image in a variety of ways. If one values, for example, an
adventurous, sophisticated, adult image, smoking may enhance one's
self-image...."
Finally, Teague gives a dismal reminder of how health education, and even
warning labels, can actually serve to drive youngsters towards smoking:
"The smoking-health controversy does not appear important to the group
because, psychologically, at eighteen, one is immortal. Further, if the desire
to be daring is part of the motivation to start smoking, the alleged risk of
smoking may actually make smoking attractive. Finally, if the 'older'
establishment is preaching against smoking, the anti-establishment sentiment
discussed above would cause the young to be defiant and smoke. Thus, a new brand
aimed at the young group should not in any way be promoted as a "health" brand,
and perhaps should carry some implied risk. In this sense, the warning label on
the package may be a plus."
While this is an older document, it provides an enduring lesson that is key
to understanding the tobacco industry's need to recruit young smokers. Since
adults rarely begin smoking, if the companies don't continue to recruit young
people to smoke, one day there will be no more smokers.
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Notes
This document was first posted January 24, 2000. The links have been updated.
----------------------------------------------------------
Quotes:
It should be said that we are presently, and I believe unfairly, constrained
from directly promoting cigarettes to the youth market...Statistics show,
however, that large, and perhaps increasing, numbers in that group are becoming
smokers each year, despite bans on promotion of cigarettes to them. If this be
so, there is certainly nothing immoral or unethical about our Company attempting
to attract those smokers to our products...
Realistically, if our Company is to survive and prosper, over the long term,
we must get our share of the youth market. In my opinion, this will require new
brands tailored to the youth market...
Several things will go to make up any such new "youth" brands...The questions
then are, What image? and What quality? Perhaps these questions may be best
approached by consideration of factors influencing pre-smokers to try smoking,
learn to smoke and become confirmed smokers....
...For the pre-smoker and "learner," the physical effects of smoking are
largely unknown, unneeded, or actually quite unpleasant or awkward. The expected
or derived psychological effects are largely responsible for influencing the
pre-smoker to try smoking, and provide sufficient motivation during the
"learning" period to keep the "learner" going, despite the physical
unpleasantness and awkwardness of the period.
In contrast, once the "learning" period is over, the physical effects become
of overriding importance and desirability to the confirmed smoker...
I. PHYSICAL EFFECTS...
...The beginning smoker and inhaler has a low tolerance for smoke irritation,
hence the smoke should be as bland as possible...For the beginning smoker the
cigarette smoke should have a moderate level of tobacco flavor, but should be as
free as possible from strong, unpleasant flavors such as stemmy flavor, etc...
II. PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS...
These are the expected or derived gratifications which influence a pre-smoker
to try smoking and which sustain the beginning smoker during the largely
physically awkward and unpleasant "learning to smoke" phase...
...Group Identification -- Pre-smokers learn to smoke to identify with and
participate in shared experiences of a group of associates. If the majority of
one's closest associates smoke cigarettes, then there is strong psychological
pressure, particularly on the young person, to identify with the group, follow
the crowd...This provides a large incentive to begin smoking...Thus a new brand
aimed at the young smoker must somehow become the "in" brand and its promotion
should emphasize togetherness, belonging and group acceptance, while at the same
time emphasizing individuality and "doing one's own thing."
C. Self-Image Enhancement - The fragile, developing self-image of the young
person needs all of the support and enhancement it can get. Smoking may appear
to enhance that self-image in a variety of ways. If one values, for example, an
adventurous, sophisticated, adult image, smoking may enhance one's
self-image....
D. Experimentation - There is a strong drive in most people, particularly the
young, to try new things and experiences. This drive no doubt leads many
pre-smokers to experiment with smoking, simply because it is there and they want
to know more about it. A new brand offering something novel and different is
likely to attract experimenters...
A final psychological factor which also did not fall readily into Table 1
involves smoking and health attitudes. The smoking-health controversy does not
appear important to the group because, psychologically, at eighteen, one is
immortal. Further, if the desire to be daring is part of the motivation to start
smoking, the alleged risk of smoking may actually make smoking attractive.
Finally, if the "older" establishment is preaching against smoking, the
anti-establishment sentiment discussed above would cause the young to be defiant
and smoke. Thus, a new brand aimed at the young group should not in any way be
promoted as a "health" brand, and perhaps should carry some implied risk. In
this sense, the warning label on the package may be a plus.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Company
R.J. Reynolds
Author
Teague, Claude Edward, Jr. (Asst Chief of R & D, RJR, 1970s-knowledgeable re
youth smoking)
Assistant Director of Research at RJR in 1973 and Director of R&D
Administration in 1987.(Source: RJR Who's Who NMLRP) Teague was Director of
Research & Development
Recipient
Corporate recipient, R.J. Reynolds
Region
United States
Litigation
Minnesota Selected
Type
DRAFT
REPORT
Confidential
Subject
youth
youth initiation
smoking initiation
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Anne Landman
Center for Media and Democracy
TobaccoWiki Editor
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anneATtobaccodocuments.org
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