From: anne@tobaccodocuments.org
Date: Thu, 06/05/08
Current Posting Date: Thursday, June 5, 2008 (Original Posting
Date: Friday, September 24, 2004)
The Black Menthol Cigarette Market February, 1979(790200).
Document Date: Feb 1979
Length: 76 pages
Bates No. 501071047/1122
URL of original posting: http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/
501071047-1122.html
Document images: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/oxg59d00
This marketing document from the R.J. Reynolds collection discusses
the demographics and smoking tendencies of the African American
cigarette market in the United States, including the unusually high
use of menthol among this group. The paper offers a possible
explanation for the high use of menthol cigarettes among African
Americans, stating:
"In 1974, before the introduction of lights, Black menthol smokers,
to a greater degree than their White counterparts, believed menthol
cigarettes were less hazardous/irritating than other cigarettes..."
The report does not comment on the fact that this broad segment of
the U.S. population maintained such a prominent health
misconception. Rather, the report simply concerns itself with
marketing menthols further to this population.
The report concludes that advertising in magazines should be avoided
and that instead R.J. Reynolds should use "OOH" [out-of-home
advertising media, like billboards] to reach Blacks because such a
large segment of this market is "functionally illiterate." It also
concludes that KOOL smokers "have well below average representation
among the grade school educated," and states, "Today's young Black
adults, who as teenagers, were yesterday's KOOL smokers..." and
discusses how to market SALEM to these smokers instead.
Quotes
This reversal of SALEM/Kool share of market trends is particularly
significant and appears to be signaling an important opportunity for
SALEM to finally crack what once seemed to be Kool's almost
impregnable hold on the Black market. It is because of this and the
fact that Blacks are such an important part of the menthol market -
accounting for one in eight menthol cigarette smokers - that this
study was undertaken. This document, then, represents an analysis of
the Black market within the United States and its potential to SALEM
cigarettes in prospective sales...
[From Page 6: 501071052]:
On average, Blacks are not as well educated as the nation's total
population. Here again, however, the gap between Blacks and the total
population has been and is expected to continue to close. Indeed, the
difference in the median level of educational attainment among Black
vs. total persons under 40 years of age is less than half a school
year, while the gap widens to close to four years among some older
groups. Despite the rising educational level of Blacks almost half
(44%) of the nation's Black adults are reported to be functionally
illiterate; i.e., lacking the necessary social and intellectual
skills and experience so necessary to successful living.
[From Page 10: 501071056]:
As previously noted, menthol cigarettes are more popular with Blacks
than with the general smoking public. In 1978, 46% of Black market
sales was menthol vs. 30% in corresponding divisions.
[Page 11: 501071057]:
In 1974, before the introduction of lights, Black menthol smokers, to
a greater degree than their White counterparts, believed menthol
cigarettes were less hazardous/irritating than other cigarettes...
[Page 15: 501071061]
Blacks represent the nation's largest minority. And their numbers
have been and are expected to continue to grow at a faster rate than
the general population. Thus... With their extremely high preference
for menthol cigarettes, Blacks are a particularly important target
for SALEM.
[Page 17: 501071063]:
Today's young Black adults, who as teenagers, were yesterday's Kool
smokers, are probably increasingly more receptive to moving on to
SALEM, with its less rigorously "typed" image. Blacks, who are
current users of and likely prospects for SALEM full- flavor
cigarettes are less educated and more likely to be among the large
segment of functionally illiterate; hence their readership and
purchase of magazines and newspapers are low. As such, to reach this
larger mass Black market ...it is recommended that Brand employ OOH
["out-of-home" advertising, such as billboards] as the primary medium
to reach this ethnic group. This will entail use of 30-sheet and 60-
sheet OOH in predominantly Black areas in central cities to obtain
broad reach and frequency among mass Black audiences. It also is
recommended that limited use be made of magazines to reach middle
class Black Americans. SALEM'S current high country campaign with its
bold outdoor graphics and virile-looking male model are easily
translatable into Black OOH media, using Black models. The use of a
very masculine male model is particularly appropriate since SALEM'S
image among Blacks is more feminine...
--------------------------------------------------------------
Company
R.J. Reynolds
Author
William Esty Company, Inc. (Advertising) - New York
Recipient
Presumed corporate recipient, RJR
Region
United States
Type
REPORT
Named Person
Yankelovich, D.
Surgeon General
Simmons
RJR
Subject
target market
Target/ethnic (targeting ethnic markets)
Target/Low-Income (Target Groups)
Target/Young Adults (Target Groups)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Click here to see more tobacco industry documents aimed at marketing
to African Americans on www.TobaccoWiki.org
This tobacco document information is provided by www.smokefree.net
and the Center for Media and Democracy.
Anne Landman
TobaccoWiki Editor, www.TobaccoWiki.org
Center for Media and Democracy
anne@sourcewatch.org
(970) 216-9842 Cell
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