Sales of
Rothmans Plus 1996 to 1997 Sales of Export A Smooth 1994 to 1997
|
|
1996 was an unusual year for tobacco advertisers.
For the first time in almost a decade, the only rules restricting cigarette ads were those
made up by the cigarette companies.
(The Supreme Court had thrown
out the federal government’s ban on cigarette advertisements in September 1995. It
wouldn’t be until December 1996 that the government introduced new legislation)
In central Canada, the summer
of 1996 saw two novel ad campaigns for two experimental brands: Export A Smooth and
Rothmans Plus. The heavy advertising push wasn’t the only similarity between the two
brands. They were both ‘new-look’ sub-categories of the leading brands for their
manufacturers. They both used highly visible, somewhat controversial ad campaigns.
The Export A Smooth campaign
("Either you like it, or you don't") freely used images of adolescent glamour:
electric guitars were featured prominently. The Rothmans Plus ads pushed the line of the
industry voluntary's code, which forbad the use of 'human figures'. The Plus ad showed
that human bodies were not needed to establish a life-style connection.
In both these campaigns, the
experiment either failed, or served some other purpose. Both brands were withdrawn from
the market in 1997. Rothmans Plus was pulled after only nine months.
Rothman’s Plus
was introduced in Ontario in
September 1996
was introduced across Canada
in October 1996
was supported across Canada
through January 1997
began to be withdrawn in
B.C. and Alberta in February 1997
was effectively withdrawn in
May 1997
Over its 9 month life, 23 million Rothmans Plus cigarettes were sold (that's less than one
tenth of one percent of the approximately 45 billion manufactured cigarettes sold in 1997)
Export A Smooth
was distributed throughout
British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec in 1994
was withdrawn (or not
supported) across Canada between October 1994 and Spring 1995.
was re-launched in Ontario
in April and May 1995
was re-launched in Quebec in
June 1995
was supported through 1995
in Ontario and Quebec only
was gradually withdrawn in
the latter half of 1996
saw sales in 1994 of 56
million cigarettes
saw sales in 1995 of 71
million cigarettes
reached sales in 1996 of
35.5 million cigarettes (less than one tenth of a percent of the 45 billion manufactured
cigarettes sold in 1996)
saw sales in 1997 of less
than 3 million, as product was pulled
was advertised in 15% of all
retail stores in September 1996 (ACNeilsen survey)
represented almost 9% of all
point-of-sale ads in September 1996 (ACNeilsen survey)
|
|
1996.
A SERIOUS STATE OF MARKETING
Either They
Liked It
- or They Didn't
|
