Japan Tobacco International Case Study

CONSUMER / MARKET SENTIMENT STUDY

CASE STUDY

• Goal Tasked with conducting a consumer and market study to analyze consumer conversation sentiments surrounding tobacco and related products across social media as a research measure to provide business intelligence for understanding and managing brand property risks.

The objective was to study and represent how the conversation was evolving with consumers and other interested persons within the public space by analyzing the general tobacco discussion topic category as associated with the house Brand (Winston) and other select key competitive brands.

The goal was to determine if sufficient insights would be available to warrant further exploration to implement a Social Media Listening and Monitoring program (within the guidelines of tight industry and self-governed regulations) to gauge and monitor changing societal opinions and those that may impact the JTI brands.

Japan Tobacco International

CONSUMER / MARKET SENTIMENT STUDY

CASE STUDY Japan Tobacco International

• Solution The process and methodology was custom designed to study and analyze the community discussion. Seven sets of brand / keyword associations were used to identify how the conversation was materializing.

The study sampled and analyzed hundreds of thousands of social media posts over a 60 day time period. Each brand / keyword set was closely studied to find common themes with a concerted emphasis placed on the commissioned house Brand.

In support of the study's objective, analysis included: Benchmarking general topical conversations,

identification of potential viral events, brand inclusion volumes and native language impact by global geography

Analyzing consumer social media channel use preferences measured against Brand reach, resonance, nuances and consumer sentiments

Head-to-head house Brand versus competitive brand comparisons

... recent social media topics

include; a Philip Morris CEO

public statement representing

smoking cessation is easy, R.J.

Reynolds’ own historic

sponsorship of the Flintstones

cartoon series and the

resulting cigarette

commercial highlighting the

cartoon characters smoking

cigarettes, and British

American Tobacco’s early use

of asbestos in Kent branded

cigarette filters ..."

"

CONSUMER / MARKET SENTIMENT STUDY

CASE STUDY Japan Tobacco International

Of the seven cigarette brands

studied including JTI’s own

Winston Brand (Marlboro,

Chesterfield, Kent, Lucky

Strike, L&M and Pall Mall), our

findings demonstrate public

opinion for Cigarette Brands

may and can create levels of

Brand property risk [within

social media]."

• Results The study findings concluded that even without Cigarette Brands being active in social media with “official” social networking accounts, it should not be assumed Cigarette Brands do not have a presence in social media.

Brands are routinely discussed across the social landscape in varying topics and references both on a personal as well as a business level. The potential risks associated with negative and potentially harmful viral conversations are evident and present.

The analysis determined JTI does need to listen and monitor the conversations closely in social media to be able to protect its Brand properties.

It was further recommended from the study conclusions that without an official social presence and a framework for rapid response in times of need, JTI would need to develop such a reactive social framework and have it at ready in times of potential crisis.

"