Tobacco Industry Consumer Research on Smokeless Tobacco Users and Product Development

摘要

Since 2006, RJ Reynolds (RJR) and Philip Morris have both introduced new smokeless “snus” tobacco products. We analyzed previously secret tobacco industry documents describing the history of RJR and Philip Morris's consumer research, smokeless product development, and marketing strategies. We found that RJR had invested in smokeless research, development, and marketing since 1968. RJR first targeted low-income males through sampling and sponsorship at fishing, rodeo, and baseball events, and through advertising portraying the user as “hard working.” In the early 1990s, Philip Morris and RJR hoped to attract more urban, female smokeless users. The current “snus” campaigns appear to appeal to these targeted consumers and smokers in smoke-free environments. These efforts may expand the tobacco market and undermine smoking cessation. The debate over the health community and tobacco companies promoting tobacco “harm reduction” by encouraging smokers to switch to smokeless tobacco products has primarily centered on a product resembling a Swedish smokeless tobacco called “snus,” which is finely ground oral tobacco (moist snuff) packaged in small porous pouches. 1 , 2 In 1982, RJ Reynolds (RJR) recognized moist snuff as the “most profitable and fastest growing segment of the non-cigarette tobacco industry,” 3 and from 1982 to 2008, moist snuff remained the only growing segment of the smokeless tobacco market. Smokeless tobacco products are addictive, 4 and their use has been linked to oral cancer, 4 oropharyngeal cancer, 5 heart disease, 4 , 6 – 8 and pancreatic cancer. 9 – 12 Dual use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, given that their associated health effects are different and may be additive, may increase the risk of tobacco-related diseases and mortality above single-product use. 13 Through increased dual use and new uptake, smokeless tobacco promotion may actually lead to an increase in tobacco-related harm at the population level (A. M. Mejia, MPH; P. M. Ling, MD; and S. A. Glantz, PhD, unpublished data, 2009). Leading cigarette companies are entering the smokeless tobacco market, perhaps because of continuing declines in US cigarette consumption 14 , 15 and increases in smoke-free ordinances. 16 Between 2006 and 2007, both RJR and Philip Morris leveraged their strongest cigarette brands to promote new moist snuff products, such as Camel Snus, Marlboro Snus, and Marlboro Moist Snuff, in test markets around the United States. The new products are line extensions of well-known cigarette brands, giving them a sense of familiarity that may increase their appeal to smokers, and they may promote the dual use of both cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products that share the same brand name. In March 2008, RJR announced plans to expand Camel Snus into 10 additional major US metropolitan areas. 17 – 19 In the second quarter of 2008, the Liggett Group began test marketing Grand Prix Snus, an addition to the Grand Prix cigarette brand, in 7 of the 8 test markets where Camel Snus was available. 20 , 21 Most of the cities where snus was introduced have 100% smoke-free laws in workplaces, bars, or restaurants. 16 Advertisements for Camel and Marlboro Snus tout it as a temporary way to deal with smoke-free policies in public places, bars, workplaces, and airplanes ( Figure 1 ). Such messages may undermine the effectiveness of smoke-free environments in motivating smoking cessation. The style and content of the advertising also appears designed to attract young people and other new users ( Figure 1 ). There is concern that promotion of smokeless tobacco could lead to (1) previous nontobacco users becoming users of smokeless products, (2) smokeless tobacco serving as a potential gateway product to smoking, and (3) smokers who would have quit using tobacco entirely instead becoming dual users of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. 4 , 22 Open in a separate window FIGURE 1 Examples of snus marketing: (a) advertisement from Marlboro Snus Web site promoting snus products as a way to use tobacco in a smoke-free environment such as an airplane; (b) advertisement from Camel Snus Web site promoting snus use in a workplace meeting; (c) advertisement from Camel Snus Web site highlighting snus' Swedish origins with a Swedish model; and direct mailers for Camel Snus (d) highlighting the cool, refreshing properties of the product and (e) distinguishing snus from chewing tobacco. Understanding how tobacco companies have profiled, targeted, and marketed to smokeless tobacco users in the past provides a valuable context for understanding current marketing activities. Although tobacco industry documents may not contain direct information about marketing the newest products, many current efforts resulted from years of past research. Cigarette companies conducted consumer resear