IA I I5_; C K . E
22 Augus.:. 197 22
Dr. Green's paper oil the Association of
Sm"Iiin': and Dise.15e
0 i Miniites of Scientific Development
21 st Julv 1972)
I entirely agree ii~-ith the statement that
"Because smoking
has become a social problcm, cigarette
manufacturers must become
more, rather than less. socially responsive". As
you will
remember, we discussed this question in Montreal,
and came to
the conclusion that B.A.T. should pursue, for
example, product
developmcnt in order to reduce the apparent and
increasing "social
offensivcncss" with the habit, and this is being
done Initially
via rescarch in the U.K. Other work, eg. BATFLAKE,
is also, of
cuur:4", proc'-dilig via the N.P.C.
Our thinking, however, needs to be taken a good
deal fu_rther
in order to construct the guidelines Dr. Green
recommends- There
are, I think, two underlying policies governing
the development
of I'licalthier" products i~ith related
communication programmes,
which though they overlap, can be separated:
1. Pre-empting hostile government legislation
through timely
agreements within the industry, ie. demonstrating
to Govern-
mcjlrs and to the public that tobacco
manufacturers are
"socially responsible" people. This could be
extended to
pre-empting moves by powerful consumer groups
(consumerism)
which independently from Government, could throw
smoking in
gencral, or certain products in particular into
disrepute.
This policy, however, tends to limit rather than
expand,
our marketing activitiLs, eg. through advertising
restrictions
or -arning labels-
The second policy encourages expansion in product
development
work, and consequently in marketing also. The
policy suggested
by Dr. Green, ic. that we should aim "to provide
the best
service u-e can for our consumers" (even though
'consumer
orientation' has always been a cardinal principle
recommended,
and adopted by Marketing). Dr. Green, however, is
going
fu.rtlicr, and nitich of idiat lie has in mi.ztd
is becoming explicit
in the work of the NI.P.C. perhaps the guidelines
should now
be stated more clearly, and the main thrust of the
central
work undertaken by N.P.C. could well be governed
by them.
"Best service" should be defined, not in terms of
negative
"warnings" or invidious comparisons between
products to the
disadx-antage of our existing ranges, but rather
by providing
ncu- products, positively and attractively
promoted, including
new ingredients like BATFLAKE, or with new filters
which have
kiiown consumer appezil (shown by the usual
methods of pre-testing).
BATFLAKE, inticed, is very much a case in point.
When the
product tests in Jersey and Sivitzerland have been
completedl
icc nc(~d to decide u-Iiethei- or not we should
make claims for the
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November 1999


m.i1cri.-i1 in communication i,7ith the constuner:
this is
1-i-iectly possible, if we discover, say, in
further research,
1 h.it some consitiner's an-~iaties ire relieved
when thev know
%lint a reliablo mantifacturer lins produced a
"safer" product.
Cunsurners, may even welcome the inclusion of
non-tobacco
ninterials. We do knot kiiow, and we ought to find
out. You
r4 ghtly add, hoiecvcr, that it would be "nice to
have official
b~e,sing% If attractive programmes, promoting
"better"
prodticts with iiv%,- ingredients are devised,
then consumers
.-irc incire likely to lic induced to purchasc
them if the in-
g,--lients aro. authenticated by independent and
official
gri-ps, i.e. govcriiiiients or professional
bodies. Direct
hen1th claims may be difficult or impossible to
make, depending
on the c-xisting regulations in a given country.
But regula-
tions can be changed in the light of published
evidence which
entails that we -would have to accept the loss of
some com-
petitive edge with shared information. This is
precisely where
-ir ..-keting skills should be e%ercised.
"Safer" products, even w~ith an enriched choice
for consumers
amongst a variety of "healthier" products, may
still find a limited
market, even in the more sophisticated and health-
conscious
countries. The entire "Hi-Fill sector in the
U.S.A. is show-ing
gradual decline, and our kn-ledge of consumer
"segments" worldwide
suggests that opportunities for this kind of
development and com-
munication will be restricted to certain types of
smokers. Consumer
motivat-itin is indeed complex, as shovn iii the
recent excellent
survev ol literatiii'v 11-110 by D.J. Wood (G.R_ &
D.C).
lit brief, I think the "guidelines" suggested by
Dr. Green
are well i~ortli formulating, particularly in the
light of active
proditct development underwayt under the auspices
of N.P.C. I
think- a joint R & D/Marketing working party is
suggested, in order
to formulate proposals.
TP SHORT.
Nn-,dam, E.-I.
L.,
CD
BATCo document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 4
November 1999