.THE PERCEPTION AND USE
OF CHEWING TOBACCO

A Qualitative Study

CONDUCTED FOR : .
GENERAL CIGAR & TOBACCO COMPAN Y

MARCH, 1977

203856 1
National Analysts

Source: https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/docs/qyxg0028

 PROMOTIONAL AND MARKETING IMPLICATIONS . .

The results"of this exploratory research clearly demonstrate ,

;: ;that, at the present time, the. chewing . tobacco market is perceive d

, by consumers to be an extremely static and traditional one . :.For-`..'izthe most part,-;various brands'-are not differentiated by consumers ;
with chewing tobacco viewed a7s a commodity . E;•°^ he ma or =a . s
in the field-do not possess unique or distinctive positionings _

„-, .~_ However,' the present investigation also reveals that chewing .rtttobacco is'a product which-as rich with marketing potential, meetin g
of ohvsiologicair'n=_y^hnloQis and social consumer needs .-:-

_ T ese resources currently lie untapped, .- an

by any manufacturers in the smokeless tobacco field . As was found ,

even the current intensive marketing efforts fc moist snuff donot

"seem to be making maximum use of several-Highly salient consumer .
needs .

Consequently ; it is recommended-that serious considerate^z -= ••k '`-~
;_ .
.' : ; .• be given to the development of .intensive promcuonah and marketing
;
;
as,
:
:
;
;,•-fir- efforts, aimed . at both the existing aoueh tobacco franchise
; :well as at potential-new users ._ .1t is'`befleved that communications

-f to current users should be'initiated ;'solidifying,the_.base_of futur e
marketing campaigns . The current study .suggests that these-efforts
would be enthusiastically welcomed by chewing tobacco ' consumers ; . .

providing them with a feeling . of recognition and acceptance whi h .- .' ' -At the present time,'.`':ctheyfindmsgcuret,ak ;
these consumers consider themselves an '"invisible' market,-•1 .-3
unrecognized and unaddressed even by the manufacturers of`products '
they use daily It is believed that as effort of this type would _

be extremely helpful-iii building . .andintensifying brand loyalty . =

While the results of the present research are admittedly '" .
preliminary and tentative ,"if-=is" elieved .'that the rtchness of -a!- ^ r clear l
- consumer responses provides -some .g£ir a
e ` _ ositionin a *e hus', for example, it can be -argued that s} lie associations reiated'to relaxation, escape '
from ccntemporary realities ;`1e:g ', work., urban life, mass society? .
assertion of masculinity ;' and="unccnfined": :outdoo liven
t e _ a - . snorts . huntinc . f ishinal should :be : fullY Utilized . 'in,•-~ .,! .~•_
.marketing attempts ."' By contrast ; attention'tto product flavo r

and taste should be re8uced, beccause ese .communicanons

ac t

'di
..
_ 1_e r uc . from competitors,` ignore :the symbolic
associations of chewing, and may even heighten .thd. salience-of :.
physical problems associated with saliva disposal .; .'`' ; :

_v_

Source: https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/docs/qyxg0028

 In addition, new marketing efforts should be'directed towar d
potential users, since it was found that teenagers and young adult s

are currently considered highly receptive to smokeless tobacco
products, especially in the Atlanta and Dallas markets . It is felt that this impression should be investigated more thoroughly,
possibly by consumer research (i .e .., . group interviews and surveys)
of the youth market , in order to , determine the major benefits .of-;' • ;.: .,
'• smokeless tobacco perceived by shoppers . in this segmentThe"~`r:-' .`" `
present research hints at the fact,that adult role modeling .. ...
lmasculine
.-espcialytmodnfwihratp
authority figures may be highly salient for teenagers and young
adults .
Parenthetically, it should be added that expansion into-r1_ 1
new markets may be assisted by the development of new packaging )
U
and new product concepts . For example, youthful consumers seem
to be using a distinctive package ('the round Copenhagen can i n
the jean's pocket") as a mode of communication, enhancing their
self-perception as masculine adults and attempting to convey thi s
image to others . Therefore, it is possible that other distinctive
and immediately recognizable form of packaging-be developed for .
chewing tobacco . The current research provides a clue that some

c' form of plug may be desirable for this purpose, since it is fel t

to be both highly convenient and-symbolically associated with rug q

masculinity . Indeed, some respondents expressed a desire for pouch .- .
tobacco flavor in a plug form .
Moreover, it is believed that better explorations of potential .
new products be cdnducted, with an attempt made to develop .
concepts which meet existing needs . For example, it was foun d
that some of the mainr ohvsiral rrnhloms associated with chewing
, .were looseness a mouth (a particularly difficult problem with
moi snTi ), overproZcuctso of saliva, and extremely hars h

tobacco taste . These problems may be particularly salient fo r

.,'young consumers, ek a sweeter easily contained product
w ao not stYmulate .saliva production . Following th e
oboes o some professional a etes, consideratio n
i
acc o
shou a n to a new product which combinesa product of
vor with a c=--like base . It is b e ieve t
is type, which could considered a
able to sat = a n v cti,odvnamic motives . oci arP4 • "4 tewi r_g

obacco use while simultaneous y mee ing reality needs associate d
-,
`: t r door
Ll a ltu a .. a~++t . .+a . ~ra .as.v+ 'aa '
W, n COTltemparary life (p .c . . VV'1s zw~
e5, G7 : bU .Uz IICCGb LVL GLLCLaa¢~ .+vca •_v mU' I IAy ,

preferences for relatively mild forms of tobacco) .

203856 7
-vi-

Nation Amfrsts JOb

Source: https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/docs/qyxg0028