Published on March 9, 2009
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Corporation, in aspiration to increase the sales of its up-and-coming Camel brand among women, is looking to introducing brand new cigarettes intended for female smokers. The new variation, Camel No. 9, has a charming and chic name that sends women’s imagination to the legendary fragrance of Chanel No. 19, as well as to a romantic and beautiful song “Love Potion No. 9.” Camel No. 9 attracts its intended gentle customers with gentle and enigmatic cues like its color, a hot-pink fuchsia and its slogan, “Light and luscious”; and pretty flowers that surround the packs in magazine ads and posters.
Brian Stebbins, senior marketing director at R. J. Reynolds said that they had examined hundreds of names asking their potential customers – adult women smokers - of how they imagined the cigarette name that would allure them. The “9” is intended to mean “dressed to the nines, putting on your best,” Mr. Stebbins mentioned. During many years, Camel brand has been focused primarily on male smokers; with just approximately 30 percent of Camel clients were female. Comparing to their competitors Marlboro and Newport, where female buyers make up 40 percent to 50 percent of customers it can be considered as an Achilles heel of Camel. Since almost half of adult smokers are women, this becomes an issue for Camel especially in the times of economic crisis when every client counts.
“What we’re about is giving adult smokers a choice,” Cressida Lozano, vice president for marketing of the Camel brand at Reynolds American in Winston-Salem, N.C., said. The introduction of Camel No. 9 forms part of plans to “focus on products that are ‘wow,’ ” she added, “that adds fun and excitement to the category.” R. J. Reynolds is collaborating on making the best introduction of Camel No. 9 with two longtime partnering marketing agencies, Agent 16 in New York and Gyro Worldwide in Philadelphia. The estimated cost of advertisement campaign for new Camel varies from $25 million to $50 million.
Reynolds will sponsor promotional campaigns for the new Camel in large markets and malls in all the states as well as employing several other promotional instruments like distributing packs in night clubs and cinemas, and publishing ads in magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Glamour, Vogue and Hello. Intending cigarette advertisements at women is a long-term and enormously successful marketing strategy. Even Wilma Flintstone smoked, in animated commercials for Winston cigarettes that appeared during “The Flintstones” which was the last cigarette commercial to be broadcasted on American television.
