Qualitative Research Scheme: Consumer Attitudes, Behaviors, Usage and Perceptions of Snusing

1. SNUS CONSUMER LEARNING RESEARCH SCHEME
3 Phases: Ethnography, Qualitative Concept Building & Deconstruction, Product Testing
December 7, 2007

2. Objective:
To inspire growth of ideas to harvest enriched rewards

3. Best Practices for Brand Projection - Part 1

4. “Parallel pathing” research works best when there is a clear distinction between the various research efforts.
Equally important is making sure the efforts maintain their perspective and congruency to each other, as well as
the whole. The ongoing product research will inform and guide, and to a large extent, corroborate new insights
and opportunities filtered through the lens of the user.

5. We will start with the raw materials, logically and intuitively putting the pieces together. Designing and constructing a
[new] category and experience is not a puzzle…something one solves for. But a creation, something one builds
where the magnitude is greater than the individual components.

6. …But how do you create and dramatize a new commercialized experience, exciting and influencing ASU30 without
creating too much attention?
Brand Jujitsu: Flip the product perception on its head. Reframe and rearticulate the product and its benefits to
speak to the greater experience. New and emerging perceptions of the benefits and product offerings are realized.

7. Turning a [consumer] belief on its head…
Standardized Designed
Consume Experience
Category Experience
VS
Branded Experience
A to B “Magic Flying Carpet”

8. Turning a [consumer] belief on its head…
Standardized Designed
Consume Experience
Category Experience
VS
Branded Experience
A to B Motoring”

9. Snus’s multi-dimensional and sensorial experience is
> the product, and ingredients and social taboos…
VS
when the total experience is greater than the product, brand affinity and advocacy doesn’t stop.

10. To change perception is to alter existing recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli based chiefly of memory
These brands met an unmet/unfulfilled need within each of their respective categories. What are the dynamics influencing snus?

11. How should a snus product be affiliated with BAT and its legacy brands? Each brand on the preceding page
correlates to a specific type of brand relationship with its organization.
= Prime areas
Creating a new category may require a new snus product to not be directly and obviously associated with BAT’s individual brands

12. Steps to pioneering category leadership
• Simplification of the complex
• An iconic statement about culture
• Imaginatively creative and curious
• Authentically courageous
• Brand is as powerful and the product performs
• Timeless and originality
• Bi-directional communication - dialogue
• Empathy and forethought of the user experience
• Category agnostic

13. What are snus’s inspirational and aspiration elements? What is the snus experience?
What drives the category’s dynamism?

14. From first sight, touch, grip, opening, aroma, selection, insertion, satisfaction, re-engage life…
Shared Experiences
Possession

15. Snus has the behavioral elements and rituals of sub-culture
Self-instructed behavior and attitudes are obvious. The product begs to be handled. Real touch points.

16. Trend Laddering
Source: G2/Singapore, Food Trendz
NEW ENLIGHTED CONSUMERS
HIGHER/NEW EXPECTATIONS OF PRODUCT
EMERGING FUNCTIONAL EMERGING SENSORY EMERGING EXPERIENTIAL
EXPECTATIONS EXPECTATIONS EXPECTATIONS
How do trends effect acceptance, appeal, and consumption of snus?

17. Experiential Issues & Dynamics
• Tobacco vs cigarette smoking - no matches
• The experience inside and outside the tin
• What is the product for, what does it do for users? How?
• Product as object [artifact] as companion
• Decipher ritual from practice, habit from routine
• Closet and secretive behavior and consumption, foibles and idiosyncrasies with tobacco
• Proof of life, “in the moment”, “living life”, control
• Release states and moments of incidence
• Technology as a facilitator of old things as new, again
• Product performance, thrill, ride, pleasure, elixir qualities, “sessation”, savor
• Indulgence factor and the Pleasure Principle

18. Example: Las Vegas, Sun City, Macau are premised on the competitive spirit not gambling, per se. Gaming is an elements of the
greater entertaining experience. In Vegas hotels, restaurants, bars, lounges, and casinos compete for users. The Triple Crown, in
the UK or US, is all about “outdoing one another” - tailgates, hats, Sunday’s best, etc. Gambling evolved to gaming and chance,
partially removing its stigma, How can snus leverage its tobacco heritage for a transcending experience?
What can snus attach itself to, to create momentum and pleasure?

19. 15 Universal Need States
Harm
Attractiveness
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Individua
lity Control

20. Snus Opportunity Grid

21. Some questions to consider
• What is considered “success”, what are the key measurable KPIs we intended to target?
• What [food/beverage] new product launches do we feel have sustained, and even gained, momentum
amongst Early Adopters?
• What is the experience we want to deliver? How do brand and product work seamlessly to tell its story?
• What do we mean by Early Adopter? Do we have a demo in mindset to compliment their mindset?
• What, if any, is the brand fit with BAT “legacy” brands and a new snus product?
• What can we leverage from successful launches of consumer-oriented products distributed through FMCG?
• What are our launch plan success criteria based on vol, $ by regional geography, dist. channel, etc
• If positioning is non-smoking related, what are the parameters of conveyance of nicotine as a mood
enhancer, sensation, accoutrement, etc?

22. Approach & Methodology/Discovery - Part 2

23. Objectives
• To learn from and apply the knowledge gained from the current and planned product-focused research into consumer
understanding research
• To understand the fundamental functional and emotional drivers that appeal to snus or smokeless tobacco
users, in order to create a unique, differentiating, and compelling product proposition, and brand positioning
• To infuse ‘snusing’ with modernity, creating the new sensorial delight for ASU30
• To learn the “in context” dynamics, motivators, and influencers that define successful product launches:
– User understanding [Exactly, who are the primary and secondary users?]
– Perception [imagery, symbolism of users of snus, and the product]
– Point of Market Entry decision making[the logic and rationale leading to the decision to choose smokeless formats]
– Brand Preference [I choose this brand given a consideration set]
– Brand Affinity [I associate with the values of the brand]
– Persuasion [what is most compelling and credible as a message, benefit, reason to believe]
– Early Adoption [what are the characteristics and behaviors of brands that innovate appealing to niche consumers]
– Brand Loyalty [Conscious user incorporation of brand and products into lifestyle]
– Product Usage [How, when, where, why the product is consumed]
• To create a strategically sound and ingeniously creative launch marketing campaign and sustaining communications
• To maximize volume through increased penetration, stealing share from “other” smokeless tobacco products, brands and
occasions [See “Targets” in Key Areas of Exploration]
• To understand the human and consumer dynamics of Early Adopters

24. Approach
Given the uniqueness of the snus product offering and benefit, a research plan that allows leverage against previously gained
insights, yet builds on new undiscovered ones, will provide the most dynamic and actionable research findings. Phasing the
research across three methodologies using Best Practices for ethnography, qualitative, and concept testing will yield
seamlessness and “leading” learnings.
Ethnography
The first phase is to understand the human connection [sensation, craving, ritual, etc] with snus or smokeless tobacco.
Understanding the physical, physiological, social, and cultural elements of snus or smokeless tobacco usage [beyond cessation
or suppression of combustible tobacco products] will allow the brand to relate to the user first, consumer second.
– Mix of interviews and observation at work, home, play - sociability, shopping, usage and consumption, moderate depravation
Concept Analysis
The second phase builds on the knowledge of phase one, and develops visual concepts to test in qualitative groups, gaining
further user insights to be applied to the communications and marketing planning for the brand.
Product Testing - New Product Development
Lastly, the third phase will incorporate the knowledge in phases 1-2, qualitatively assessing the brands product proposition,
positioning, messaging, and experience [product performance - sensory, flavor, smell, taste, appeal] attached to a physical or
conceptually designed packages for interaction and use in the users typical environment.

25. Methodology
Ethnography
• Four to six individual, simultaneous observations in no more than two cities
• “Degreed” and qualified anthropologist designed curriculum
• Mix of Early Adopting dual users [combustible and smokeless] with index-parity P3M usage
• Observations ‘in-field’ conducted in one week - efficient and effective synchronization
Concept Analysis
• Qualitative “in context’ groups exposing ethnography-based…
– Consumer insight areas
– Product benefits, RTB, performance
– Utilitarian usage and portability, design and engineering
– User generated concepts and design boards/storyboards
• Two to four groups of six respondents in two cities, incremental learning city-to-city
Product Testing - New Product Development
• Qualitative analysis of three mutually exclusive new product positioning areas
• Discovery and exploration of spec products
• Evaluation and merits to pass gates to quantitative research of concept(s)

26. Timeline
JAN FEB MAR
FEEDBACK/APPLY FEEDBACK/APPLY
Deploy Phase 1
Deploy Phase 2 Deploy Phase 3
Results - Phase 1 Results - Phase 2 Results - Phase 3
COMMON DENOMINATOR:
PRODUCT RESEARCH - U&A

27. Key Areas of Exploration
• The meaning of snus • Target(s)
– Symbolism – Early Adopter mentality sans tobacco usage
– Heritage and provenance, tradition – Dual users: combustible & smokeless
– Rituals, habits, customs, tendencies, values – Lapsed smokers
– Uncommitted & social smokers
• The power of snus
– Switchers: All forms of smokeless & combustible
– Performance, technology, innovation
– The role of nicotine - the initial rush, post-consumption rush,
craving and satisfaction, sensation • Environmental context
– Mood enhancement, usage behavior, transformation – Usage in social environments, work, active, idle
– Supplementary and adjacent product compatibility
• Points of contact – Motivation states
– Decision criteria, consideration set
– Purchase intent triggers - Replenishment • Purchasing & Selection
– Usage occasions, moods, events, complimentary – Replenishment
products/brands
– Needs - emotional, rational, dependency, habit – Substitutable products, forms, etc
– Adoption, motivators, influencers – Halo of recognizable combustible brand on smokeless
– Price sensitivity; value of quantity, duration of effect
• Brand and product positioning – Repertoire usage, form usage and preference
– New category fulfillment – Propensity to purchase, purchase intent
– BAT branding adjacencies (consumer-facing) – Retention and repeat consumption and purchase
– Leading edge, early adopter, Alpha male
– Occasionality, event, moments, exoticism • Brand Affiliation & Credibility
– Legacy attachment
– Brand extension, line extension, sub-brand, etc

28. Gaining insights on Early Adopters: Attitudes, Behaviors, Perceptions
About 80% of new product launches will fail in the first three years of introduction. Early Adopters provide significant insights into
overall consumer acceptance, and are the most likely candidates to determine a product’s success. Early Adopters tend to
communicate their likes and dislikes with others and they adopt new products quickly - they do more than adopt newness, they
adopt perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and belief systems that become benchmarks for Late Adopters and mass.
New products have the opportunity to be new with the consumer only once, which is why an early understanding of consumer
adoption is critical in driving business optimization. Given the leadership that Early Adopters represent, they often act as a
barometer and are critical to a brand’s long-term viability and overall success.
What do do we mean when we say “Early Adopter”? What are the implications? How do we identify them? How do we reach
them? What makes them different? What compels them to experiment with new products and technology? Who or what do
they
refer to for guidance? What are their expectations? What are their emotions? Are they less likely to be loyal?
The correlations between new products and Early Adopters are obvious - need for differentiation, identity and belonging (finding
your place), and leadership. Key variables impacting this quest for identity for Early Adopters are:
– Increased affluence fueling status, image badges
– Desire for instant attraction, gratification
– New social mobility, being part of many disparate cultural and sub-cultural groupings
– New roles for social energy extending beyond on-premise involvement
– Desire for exploration, fun, and frivolity in an increasingly serious world
– Relationship to previous generations
– Leadership acknowledgement and social hierarchy

29. Gaining insights on Early Adopters: Attitudes, Behaviors, Perceptions
Leadership
Ethos
Promise
Waterline
Dialogue
Originality Iconic
Believability Imagination
Distinction
Memorability Purposeful
Authenticity
Courageous

30. Glide Path for Early Adopters
Loyalty
Adoration
Preference
Adoption of new behavior
Acceptance
Experimentation R
E
J
E
C
Intrigue/Curiosity
T
Visibility Awareness
CDF Awareness Consideration Trial Regular Repertoire Loyalty

31. New Products targeting Early Adopter Mentality

32. Getting to Inspirational Attributes through Early Adopters

33. Sweden as Provenance. The Design of Lifestyle
Danish Culture
Scandinavia Region
SWEDEN The Source

34. CoolBrands’s Top Cool Brands 2006 (UK)

35. FMCG Channel New Product Performance Sheet
2004 2005
2006
2005
Source: IRS

36. Summary & Implications
Summary Implications
• This is new behavior. Each person snuses differently. • What is the best way to segment Early Adopter behavior
There are a variety of different users but archetypes of and attitudes? Should those characteristics be
Early Adopters can be created. considered apart from ASU30 category U&A? How do
we understand the fluidity of both?
• Brand Jujitsu is critical snus acceptance, appeal, usage,
and other forms of scrutiny towards tobacco.
• Don’t act like a tobacco brand, behave differently not
because of mandates but because of savvy.
• Brand first, product second. It begs to be handled.
• Engage all of the users senses and positive emotions • Snus as a brand is both an emotion and an activity. It
from purchase intent to pouch insertion. has its own call to action through packaging and
adjacencies and incident occasions.
• An emerging snus brand should be aware of lifestyle
marketing towards ASU30 that is deceptive. Some Early • How problematic are the negative perceptions in the
Adopters are predisposed to marketer cynicism. category? How do they impact penetration? Is
frequency and usage increasing amongst key segments?
• How are rituals created, where do they start, what are
the most natural ones for snus? Are their different rituals • Differentiation is key in commoditized category. Vodka’s
for different snus brands?
strength was its weakness - in 2003 there were nearly
200+ vodkas in the USA, appeal but not barrier to entry.
• Creating a new category requires leadership as well as
the patience to allow behavior to prevail, eg - Corona
only suggests a lime. Users just know to do it • How does snus stand apart instead of standing out?