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 Between 2000 and
2003, Rothmans, Benson and Hedges ran "Goldclub" events to market
its brand in popular urban venues. The events were visually rich
and featured big-name dj's, big prizes, go-go-dancers - and even circus
performers.When the ban on
sponsorship promotions came into effect on October 1, 2003, Rothmans
pulled back on these promotions. This decision was quite different
than that taken by Imperial Tobacco (which re-branded them under the
Definiti label) or JTI-Macdonald (which made no apparent changes to its
promotions).
We asked
Waterloo graduate student Tara Elton to review gold club events in Kitchener Waterloo
last spring. Here's her report.
(Some of the accompanying photos were taken
by Tara
in Waterloo, others come from different soruces).
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 Gold Club Surveillance in Kitchener-Waterloo Region
March-June 2003
by: Tara Elton
June 16, 2003
The Gold Club Jet to Cancun Series ran in Kitchener at Club Elements on
March 29th and again the following weekend (April 5th)
2003. This club seemed to target
university or college aged students as their main clientele.
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Pre-Party Publicity
The advertising for the Gold Club Series was listed on the marquee of
Club Elements, many weeks in advance. Additionally, the University of
Waterloo student newspaper “the Imprint” had a magazine insert “Marquee”
which is similar to the kinds of magazines found at the local movie
theatres (such as “Tribute” magazine). On the back of this magazine was
an ad for Gold Club with the website address provided. No mention of
the upcoming part at Club Elements was included in the ad.
Additionally, the Gold Club event at Club Elements on March 29th
seemed to serve as a precursor to the main event to be held the
following weekend. All of the decorations, etc. were the same but the
draw for the trip was to be held the following Saturday and anyone who
entered the draw received a VIP pass for entrance into the club the
following weekend.
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The GoldClub Website
Accessible at
www.goldclubseries.ca (withdrawn on October 1,
2003) The Gold Club website first asks individual’s their age range
(although it doesn’t seem to matter if you are under-age it still
provides the dates that the Gold
Club Series will be held at the clubs (which are bars and therefore
restricted to those over the age of 19 in Ontario).
The goldclub
web-site was taken down on October 1, 2003
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The page uses Benson & Hedges colours (gold, black and grey) and
features pumping music. This page also promotes the upcoming club events
(with a comprehensive calendar which you can search by the town that
you’re interested in). The Jet to Ibiza series is currently
highlighted. There is also a host of images and information about the
DJ who are involved as well as a promotion for the “big DJ small club
series”. This series involves having a well known DJ play a small
club. The only way to get in is to try to win on the website or to line
up outside the club the night of the event and hope to get in.
Another series advertised is the “Premiere Series” which boasts the
premiere in Montreal of some of new movies at an “unbelievable” party.
This premiere is also presented in conjunction with the Imperial Cinema
Centre. Past movies at the premiere series include “The Red Violin”,
“One Night at McCools”, and “15 minutes”.
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Gold Club’s “Jet
to Cancun”
Security entering the club was extremely tight with bouncers checking ID
and the use of metal detectors as well as searching purses for weapons
etc. This confirms initial theory that the target of this event was
University or College students (19-25) since those in attendance
appeared to be youthful but were old enough to get in to a bar. The DJ
(Matt Daddy) played music that would have appealed to people in this age
range as it was popular back when these individuals would have been a
teenager. The main dance room had several dancers in cages waving glow
sticks and some wearing glow sticks in their mouths and other areas of
the body. While smoking is banned in the Kitchener Waterloo region,
smokers were able to go out a side emergency exit to smoke (and often
left the door open).
Promotion within the club
There were numerous advertisements for the Gold Club Series within the
club. Upon entrance, patrons were required to pay a $5.00 cover
charge. This fee was paid to a woman in a booth. Adorning the booth
were many upright cards for patrons to take. These cards were
advertising the DJ provided as well as the fact that they were giving
away a chance to win a trip to Cancun Mexico. Underneath all of this
text was the reminder that Gold Club was sponsored by Benson & Hedges’.
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 The
club also had several posters advertising the Gold Club series event
that was in progress. It is unclear as to whether these posters had
been in the club on previous evenings leading up to this event or not.
These posters advertised the trip as well as the DJ and once again
Benson & Hedges was credited. |
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The club’s décor was transformed to evoke images of Benson & Hedges.
Over one of the bars was a billowing material in the Benson & Hedges colours of gold, grey and black. Designs (i.e. bubbles etc.) were
projected onto the surface of the material and would often shift
catching one’s attention.
Screens were placed beside the dance floors. These screens would show
the Benson & Hedges Gold Club logo interspersed with people partying on
the dance floor.
Yet the most striking aspect of the Gold Club Series was the use of
attractive females to promote the Benson & Hedges image.
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 These women
were adorned in Benson & Hedges colours and promoted
the sale of Benson & Hedges products. Besides selling cigarettes from
cigarette trays, these women also stood beside glass display cases
(similar in appearance to vending machines). These cases contained
Gold Club mints in a small silver tin with “Gold Club” engraved on the
top, Benson & Hedges cigarettes in a variety of brands, cigarette cases,
and Benson & Hedges zippo lighters also engraved on it. |
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For
each variety of cigarette strength, there was a corresponding colour of tin, mints and
lighter. The cigarette cases were exact replicas of the cigarette
packages without the warning labels. The price of the cigarettes were
$8.00 for a pack of 20. Cigarette cases were $2.00. The total cost to
purchase 1 pack of cigarettes, 1 of the mints, 1 cigarette case, and 1
lighter was $22.00. |
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Gold Club Staff
Beautiful women
clad in shiny gold pants and matching midriff tops exposing cleaving
were found throughout the club. There were several different roles that
these women played. The cigarette girl walked around the
club with a tray of Benson & Hedges cigarettes. These women were
similar to the cigarette girls of the 1950’s but much more visible and
not meant to actually partake in the transaction. The cigarettes
were stacked in 3 tiered plastic holders that were lit up from the
bottom so that they were immediately visible in the darkened club.
The cigarette girl would hold these trays high above their heads so that
they could be seen around the club. The packs themselves were
stacked so that the warning labels could not be seen on the bottom 2
rows. This particular club had 3 rooms each playing different
music. The cigarette girls were found in each of these rooms many
dancing with their trays. The primary task for these girls was to
be alluring and direct curious patrons to the display cases to purchase
the cigarettes.
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 Similarly,
there were girls who were not roving cigarette girls but stood beside
glass display cases containing various Benson & Hedges merchandise (see
section on publicity within the club). These
saleswomen were dressed in the gold outfits as well, or some wore a
simple tight black tank top with “Gold Club” written across the chest
and black pants. These women sold all of the merchandise in the
cases. |
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Another
class of Gold Club girls I would term the contest promotion
girls these women did not sell anything. The main role that they
played was to meet the patrons as they entered the bar and direct them
to the stations set up to enter for a chance to win the trip to Cancun.
In this particular club, contest promotion girls were
situated at the top of a flight of stairs. Patrons entering the bar
would pay their cover and then their first sight would be 2 attractive
females in gold outfits at the top of the stairs.
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 Patrons
would have to walk directly past these girls to enter the club.
The contest
promotion girls handed patrons a card that they were told to take to
the stations behind them to enter for their chance to win a trip to
Cancun. These cards had the promotional reminders of the Gold Club
series as well as Benson & Hedges written on it. The cards proved
to be useless; the attendant at the station never asked for the card and
when I attended the second Gold Club event they weren’t ever offered to
us.
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Both males and females worked at the stations set up for entering the
contest. The females were dressed in the same alluring outfits as
their counterparts. Males wore a black t-shirt with Gold Club
written on it. Similarly, male and female bartenders wore the same
outfits; black t-shirts with Gold Club written on it and black pants
(presumably they were not employed by Benson & Hedges). |
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The Contest
Several
stations of computers were set up in an area that every individual had
to pass to get into the club. Behind the stations was a backdrop
set up to look like a beach hut. These computers were flat screens
raised up so that the patron didn’t have to sit down to fill it out.
The Gold Club staff would ask the patron for his or her driver’s license
which they would swipe into the computer. Additionally, one was
required to provide a phone number, mailing address, and e-mail. Patrons
were asked their smoking status and if the person responded that he/she
was a smoker, they were asked which brand they smoked.
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On the final screen, the staff member would ask the patron to sign their
name. Just above this was a box that was already checked. By
checking this box it indicated that you would be okay with Benson &
Hedges sending you promotional items. The Gold Club member hurried
the individual through this section by having them sign their name and,
as a result, many may have not even noticed this statement (and may not
have unchecked the box). The form of this contest application is
similar to the mailing list form provided on the Gold Club Series
website. After filling out the form, patrons were told that the winner
would be randomly drawn from the names and announced later in the
evening.
When it came time to announce the winner of the trip to Cancun the DJ
proclaimed “our friend’s at Benson & Hedges who have put this thing on
are giving away a trip to Cancun”. The winner was announced as
well as the sponsorship by Benson & Hedges several times thereafter. |
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Future
Promotions of the GoldClub Series
The next Gold Club Series is a trip to Ibiza, Spain. This new
promotion has been much more visible. Radio spots on the local radio
station have been advertising the Gold Club series and its contest. The
student newspaper “the Imprint” has run a full page coloured ad
promoting smoking (the rest of the newspaper is black and white with the
exception of the Du Maurier arts ad on the opposite side of the Gold
Club ad). Additionally, the Imprint has included the Marqee magazine
which includes a Gold Club ad once again on the back cover.
Downtown Toronto (which incidentally has a number of future club dates
for the “Jet to Ibiza series”) has posters for this future series on
traffic posts along University Avenue.
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 A popular club in Waterloo “Revolution” will hold a Gold Club event on
Saturday, June 21st. The promotion for this event has
already begun. On Friday, May 30th I visited this club. A
sign outside the club (where everyone must have his or her ID inspected
by the bouncers) advertises the future Gold Club event. Inside
promotional pamphlets were everywhere (on all tables and bar surfaces).
These substantial booklets listed all of the “Jet to Ibiza” club dates
in every Canadian city. Also included were descriptions of the DJ’s
(one of whom is releasing a cd produced by Gold Club). Even the
bathroom had a one page ad for the upcoming Gold Club party beside every
sink.
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For those that signed up for the Gold Club mailing list or who entered
the contest (and neglected to click the box indicating that they didn’t
want to receive any promotional material), an e-mail was sent out
informing them about the upcoming Gold Club Series date at their local
club and that the trip contest was now to Ibiza Spain. Information on
the website also indicates that individuals who enter this next contest
will also receive a Max Graham Jet to Ibiza Compilation CD.
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Conclusion
As the ban on sponsorship approaches, the tobacco companies must look
for new ways to promote itself. The Gold Club series is another way to
promote cigarettes to youth. This series has the potential to become
even more influential as younger students in Ontario enter University.
For the first time these individuals will be faced with making their own
decisions without reprisal from their parents. Many studies have shown
that drinking and smoking are often combined. According to alcohol
myopia theory, an individual will attend to whatever cues are in front
of them when they are intoxicated. If an individual is exposed to a
positive message about smoking he or she will be more likely to smoke
than they would have if they were sober. Using this model, the Gold Club
series would work as a positive message the smoking is associated with
being attractive people, fun and partying. This positive message might
therefore encourage an individual to try smoking when he or she wouldn’t
otherwise. As a result, these promotions need to be considered when
deciding upon what should be included under the sponsorship ban.
Summary
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The Gold Club series targets University and College
students by hosting parties at local bars and holding a contest for a
free trip.
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By signing up for the contest, Benson and Hedges
can obtain demographic and mailing information about the individual.
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Beautiful young women are dressed in Benson and
Hedges colours and sell cigarettes.
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Gold Club promotions were increased before
the full provisions of the Tobacco Act took effect on October 1, 2003.
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