BACKGROUND NOTE: This document is
instrumental in understanding how the industry so
deftly perpetuates its youth market in the face of advertising
restrictions. As the document indicates, far more important than
advertising is what youth see their peers doing. This is the key to
convincing large numbers of teens to act a certain way, smoke, use
certain brands, etc.
The industry exploits adolescents' powerful need
for peer acceptance in order to sell cigarettes. In my view, this
document also explains why it is so crucial to the industry to preserve
their ability to use self-service cigarette displays: such displays
assist young people in obtaining the "standard, full pack" sample of
cigarettes, which, in addition to brand logos, carry far more adult
prestige and communicate more of an adult 'lifestlye commitment' than a
free-sample 12-pack or single cigarettes.
Quotes:
While trial and image work well with regular smokers, a third crucial
element comes into play when attempting to convert 'First Usual Brand
Young Adult Smokers (FUBYAS),' -- peer acceptance and acceptance
projection. Peer acceptance/acceptance projection occurs when a FUBYAS
exposes his brand preference to his peers. This exposure is represented
by the pack, which in turn, recalls the image and communicates the
preference. The pack becomes the image focal point.
When a younger adult smoker pulls out his pack, takes a cigarette from
it and lays the pack upon the table, he is sending an important message
to his peers. The medium for that message is the pack itself....
The usual sample 12-pack, however, can't communicate acceptance and
commitment because its special size and package instantly communicates
otherwise. It says, instead, 'I didn't buy this package. I received it
as a freebie. Please don't judge me by this brand. Please understand
how clever I was to get something for nothing.'
A standard, full pack, whether purchased or sampled, strongly suggests
commitment and acceptance. If the standard pack were used as the
sample, those accepting it would present to their peers a signal of
acceptance and commitment, bringing the brand into the lifestyle of the
target.
...FUBYAS are aware of their life-style accoutrements, and how those
things are perceived by their peers. They must always project that they
are 'with it' and 'together' -- i,e, conforming to the standards of the
group. Their life-style decisions must appear solid and unwavering --
i.e., they must project a priori acceptance rather than the desire to be
accepted - so they are consequently highly sensitized about how they
communicate through these artifacts....the beer and liquor they drink,
the clothes they wear, (especially t-shirts), what they read; all add to
the message sum. The brand of cigarettes they smoke is perhaps one of
the most powerful signals they can send....
....When his peer group views him smoking the sampled full-pack, they
become, in essence, validating acceptors. To perform this ritual
nothing need be spoken...
Anne Landman
American Lung Association of Colorado, West Region Office
Grand Junction
Title: Sampling Young Adult Smokers
Type of Document: Report
Author: Taylor Shain
Recipient: N/A
Date: October 18, 1984
Bates No.: 502567533/7534
No. of Pages: 2
Site: RJ Reynolds Document site http://www.rjrtdocs.com/frames.jsp
URL:
http://www.rjrtdocs.com/imaging.jsp?SIZE=774&LOCATION=0
(I hope it works. If not, go to the RJR site and enter the beginning Bates
number only, meaning all the numbers before the slash, in the field for
Document ID)
