Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Email Marketing For Tobacco Products

Posted by Anonymous on 8/16/2004 at 4:46 PM ET 440 Points
What is the most effective way to market tobacco products through sources like internet and email?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 8/16/2004 at 6:44 PM Member
    Much of this answer would depend on location, as sales and marketing of Tobacco products are heavily regulated in many areas. For example, there are many rules about where you can and can not advertise tobacco products in the U.S.
  • Posted by SRyan ;] on 8/17/2004 at 12:13 AM Member
    Hi, BM --

    Why don't you fill out your Profile page? Share as much as you can about yourself and your company, then we'll always be able to offer the best help for this and future questions you post on KHE.

    There have not been many questions posted here about tobacco, but you might try the Search Questions link and use the keyword "cigar." That will yield you a couple of threads about cigarettes (misspelled or not). I don't think they address the email angle, though.

    Someday perhaps there will be TOIP (Tobacco Over Internet Protocol) technologies that enable you to attach nicotine to an email. ;]

    - Shelley
  • Posted by Mushfique Manzoor on 8/17/2004 at 6:07 AM Accepted
    Hi BM

    first you develop a database of smokers mostly ASU 30 (Adult Smokers Under age of 30) as these people are the internet as well as email user. You will also have ASO 30 smokers database. This database may have profile of the smokers in the following areas
    General Contact details
    o Home/mailing address
    o Email address
    o Mobile number
    o Home phone number
    o Office phone number

    Economic profile
    o Monthly gross income,
    o Monthly gross expenditure
    § Expenditure on Food & Beverage & Tobacco
    § Disposable expenses
    § Transportation expenses (i.e. owning a car/motorbike, fuel cost)

    Demographic profile
    o Age
    o Sex
    o Location
    o Family Structure

    Psychological & Psychographics profile.
    o Hobbies & Interests
    o TV viewing habits
    o Net Surfing habit
    § How much time spends on internet
    § Which sites mostly visited

    Now developing this profile for each smoker can be bit tricky as people in sub continent tend to be averse to divulging personal information. For this you can take help of any Research Agency (i.e AC Nielsen) or develop a team of your own.

    Once you have a database of substantial smokers you can filter the database according to your requirement. Depending on which brand you are promoting you will select the smokers from your database and invite them to particular brand related program through
    Ø Email
    Ø Direct mail
    Ø SMS
    For brand positioned as youthful, the program can be a concert or any other event. You can also provide product and marketing information (i.e. opening of a Tobacco Branded Outlet, start of Co-promotion) as well as other information tailored for certain smoker groups depending on their interests & hobbies which will subtly associate the brand with the smokers.

    Through this email/SMS you can ask the smokers to log onto a particular promotional campaign sites wherby winners will get various Branded Merchandise.

    Hope this helps.

    cheers!
    Mushfique
  • Posted by Mushfique Manzoor on 8/18/2004 at 7:01 AM Member
    Hi BM

    the budget will depend on how large a database you want to build, whether in 1 go or in phases and who is doing this painstaking work. For example, for a database of 5000 people, done by an agency, it budget will be roughly Rs. 1 million. (i really unable to tell you exact figures, as it depends on your country.)

    as for whether "SMS will do the job which TVC can't??". Well just to share a thought, When one receives a SMS, one opens it to read the message. Generally widely used popular mobile sets will not have picture recognition of caller (assuming in case of Pakistan, considering the economic conditions). So when PTC sends the SMS to a consumer(of the databse) s/he will open and at least read/see the message/picture. But in case of TVC, so manny channels, PTV, PTV World, Geo and lots others, so the TVC aired is always missed by some portion of target audience. In case of SMS you are sending to small number of people (say 5000) and 100% is viewing that, retention and recall is obviously less than 100% but in case of TVC you have even lesser retention and recall than SMS as a big chunk misses to see the TVC at any particular time point in the first place.

    hope this helps! you can always contact me at my email by clicking on my name.

    cheers!
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 8/19/2004 at 5:10 AM Member
    I don't think there is. It would be interesting to see a case study. I suspect the smoker is encouraged to switch brands by more passive media such as TVC and billboards and other outdoor signage, e.g. bus/train advertising.

    That's the reason why so many developed countries have outlawed this form of advertising - because it is persuasive, it also persuades non-smokers, especially the young.

    If you really are trying to encourage brand switching, and other forms of media are available to you, I would try them.

    I don't smoke, but I am very sure I would not be persuaded to switch brands by a text message on my mobile phone. In fact, it would more likely DISsuade me from trying the advertised brand.

    No, show me pictures of attractive sexy young models experiencing a dazzling, rich and carefree lifestyle, and I'd probably take the habit up.

    Don't show me graveyards, hospitals or sick people, that would be a turn-off.

    Hope this helps.

    ChrisB
  • Posted by Mushfique Manzoor on 8/19/2004 at 6:29 AM Member
    Steve

    the idea of using SMS is to inform the consumers of various brand related activities. Unlike TVC SMS is just dessiminating information about brand related activities, rather than usal brand advertising.

    When all ATL is banned the maximum tobacco companies can do is establish effective BTL and Retail Media. You are right that ATL persuades (thru' audio visual) smokers as well as non-smokers. So when to persuade you gotta creat the Audio Visual atmosphere of the brand at outlet level. Thats where Branded Outlet, Brand Activation comes. example of Retail Media is branded outlet or Activation campaign of Live the Life in Dunhill/Marlboro (Brand) Way.

    Through SMS You inform the consumers of the any activity and bring them in to the outlet or to activity so that they have a taste of the brand image and brand world. That will act as the persuation method instead of typical ATL. SMS itself is not an Ad medium as TVC, but it is just a dessiminator of info.

    i hope this helps.

    cheers!!
  • Posted by Mushfique Manzoor on 8/19/2004 at 6:37 AM Member
    APOLOGIES!!!

    SORRY, Chris, i accidentally wrote your name Steve. I am really sorry, Chris. Please accept my sincere apologies.

    Mushfique
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