Tag Archive for: marketing

Marketing a Smoke-Free Future by David Pringmill

Phillip Morris Industries (PMI) has invested over 4.5 billion USD in the development of its new products. More than 5 million adult smokers have switched to IQOS from cigarettes. The company currently has two applications pending with the FDA regarding the sale of IQOS and what the company characterizes as modified risk properties.

Mary Cochran, co-founder of Launching Labs Marketing, told DMN that the company also has to overcome the perception of distrust.

https://www.dmnews.com/marketing-a-smokefree-future/

 

Marketing a Smoke-Free Future

Philip Morris International became the world’s leading tobacco brand by selling…well, cigarettes. Now it’s planning on a smoke-free future

Tobaccosmoke 1440613

If you’re a LinkedIn user, you may have been surprised to see a recent anti-cigarette ad — paid for by Philip Morris International. The tobacco company is promoting a self-proclaimed “manifesto” online declaring their commitment to a smoke-free future. The company sees itself “replacing cigarettes with a portfolio of revolutionary products.” The manifesto notes that the company’s success has given it the resources to pursue a new vision, and to meet an ethical responsibility. It states, “Society expects us to act responsibly. And we are doing just that by designing a smoke-free future.”

Industry trends are changing, but some consumers are reluctant to adopt new products, such as “alternative devices” and e-cigarettes. Additionally, health risks remain. A study published in the journal Pedriatics noted that the presence of harmful ingredients in e-cigarette vapor has been established. The study concluded, “Our findings can be used to challenge the idea that e-cigarette vapor is safe, because many of the volatile organic compounds we identified are carcinogenic.”

PMI is promoting a device called IQOS, which heats tobacco without combustion, fire, ash, or smoke. Although news outlets have erroneously referred to IQOS as an acronym, the name is simply intended to convey the impression of new technology and a new product category. The company says that the product reduces the level of harmful chemicals because the tobacco is heated, not combusted. The difference between IQOS and e-cigarettes is that IQOS produces vapor by heating actual tobacco, while e-cigarettes convert a liquid solution containing nicotine into a vapor.

Reporting in other news outlets suggested that PMI could take IQOS data about smoking behavior, such as numbers of puffs, and use it to optimize marketing, and to fine tune devices. Corey Henry, a media relations manager at Philip Morris International, told DMN, “We do not use data for marketing purposes.”

The company says that it uses device data to address warranty claims and better understand how a device may have malfunctioned. “And we do that download with the permission of the consumer, under the terms of the warranty that they would sign at the time of device registration and purchase,” said Henry.

Although the IQOS product is considered to be smoke-free, it does release a flavorful nicotine-containing vapor. Scientific studies have found that nicotine is a highly addictive substance, which negatively affects brain development.

“IQOS is for adult smokers who want to continue enjoying tobacco products but are looking for an alternative to conventional cigarettes. Now obviously nicotine is a big part of why people smoke,” said Henry, explaining that IQOS is marketed as a transitional product.

“Nicotine is a naturally occurring substance in tobacco. People smoke for the nicotine. They are often looking for an alternative way to continue using nicotine. So, some people will switch to, let’s say, an e-vapor product that you’re probably familiar with. Others aren’t able to make that switch to an e-vapor product because it doesn’t provide them with the same level of, you know, ritual satisfaction, experience,” said Henry.

He added, “And also to be clear, IQOS is not an alternative to quitting nicotine altogether. It’s an alternative for people who want to use a different type of nicotine product. You know, the best choice for a consumer who’s concerned about the health risks of smoking is to quit using tobacco altogether.”

According to PMI, when consumers walk into IQOS stores, they are asked if they are current, former, or non-smokers. Former or non-smokers are actively discouraged from buying the IQOS product.

“From our company perspective, our goal is to convert every adult smoker who would otherwise continue to smoke cigarettes to our smoke-free products such as IQOS,” said Henry.

When asked if the online manifesto is intended to combat negative PR from the past, Henry explained, “It’s really all about a recognition of where consumers are right now.”

The company is attempting to meet a consumer demand and expectation for alternatives to conventional cigarettes. As part of this shift in business strategy, the company must first raise awareness about their new heat-not-burn product. “You need to explain that to a consumer. And then you need to get them used to a slightly different ritual and a slightly different experience,” said Henry.

Henry said that although IQOS aims to deliver nicotine in a fashion that is similar to a conventional cigarette, with comparable flavor, taste and aroma, it is different. It also requires users to actively charge and clean an electronic device. He said that if an adult smoker tries IQOS and stays with it for two weeks, then they are very unlikely to go back to smoking conventional cigarettes. The product is on the market in about forty countries and is most popular in Japan, where IQOS is close to 16% market share of the tobacco category as of Q1 2018.

PMI has invested over 4.5 billion USD in the development of its new products. More than 5 million adult smokers have switched to IQOS from cigarettes. The company currently has two applications pending with the FDA regarding the sale of IQOS and what the company characterizes as modified risk properties.

Mary Cochran, co-founder of Launching Labs Marketing, told DMN that the company also has to overcome the perception of distrust.

“PMI has an uphill battle of changing a core belief that they tried to hurt their customers,” she commented. “The soda industry is having a hard time with this too, right now, with regard to dealing with the perception of empty calories. People in the U.S. have the right to do something bad for themselves, if they want to, as long as it’s not hurting others, but overcoming the perception of distrust is going to be tough for PMI.”

4GenNow Webinar – How Good Branding and PR can Help Your Startup

How Branding & PR Can Help Your Startup with Launching Labs Marketing

 

We were excited and honored to participate in the 4GenNow Webinar this month! Any time we can discuss marketing and branding with entrepreneurs is a joy.

Branding and public relations can be a mystery to business owners. Many questions arise from business owners like:

– Should I get a logo off the internet or pay for one? How to decide?
– What should I look for expect?
– Do I need a news release? Why where does it go? Is that all I need to get in print, radio or TV?
– What do I get for my money?
– What can I do myself?

WEBINAR Slide Info:

Branding and Public Relations for Your Startup

Where are you?

  • Do you have:
  • Business plan?
  • Company statement?
  • Fact Sheet?
  • Logo and branding?
  • Website and/or Facebook page?
  • Media and customers need somewhere to go
  • Corporate video?

Branding What is it?

Branding is all of the ways you establish an image of your company in your customers’ eyes. -Shopify

  • Look and Feel
  • Logo
  • Why? What if you Succeed? Logo (vectored)
  • Brand Guideline Document for future use, Allows all vendors to communicate in the same language
  • Business card
  • Social media templates

Branding Examples

I have a business, now what?

Build Momentum

Public Relations What is it?

  • At its core, public relations is about influencing, engaging and building a relationship with key stakeholders across a myriad of platforms in order to shape and frame the public perception of an organization. — PRSA

PR and Marketing…the goal

Tell company story to it’s various public’s to increase awareness and manage perception

Our story, in our words

  • Build relationships with influencers, media and employees via:
  • News releases § Media Relations § Articles, blogs § Interviews
  • Speaking opportunities § Awards
  • Tradeshows

News Releases

  • Do I need them?
  • What are they?
  • Where do they go?
  • Will it get me articles?
  • Vendors
  • PR Newswire
  • BusinessWire
  • NasdaqWire

Media Relations

  • Developing relationships with media and your company
  • Getting articles and blogs for your company
  • Backlinks for SEO
  • Time
  • Tools
    • Cision
    • Haro
    • Profnet

Next Steps

  • Digital Marketing
  • Inbound
  • Organic
  • Social Media
  • Organic Advertising
  • Email Marketing

What we can do for you

We’re offering a free 1 hour marketing and branding consultation. Mention the code: 4GenNowWebinar

 

 

 

Thank you to 4GenNow for your continued support!

 

13 ways your business can attract more social media followers

13 ways your business can attract more social media followers

Social media and marketing pros share their advice for how small businesses can get more followers and likes on Facebook, Twitter and their LinkedIn company pages.

Most businesses these days, especially retail and service businesses, have a presence on Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn. But in order to attract prospective customers to your business page(s), you need to actively court and engage fellow Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn users. How? Here are 13 suggestions.

1. Leverage your company social media bio/profile. “Make sure that your company’s online profile [or bio] is [informative] and designed in a way that quickly shows users who you are and what your business is about,” says Bernard Perrine, cofounder & CEO, SocialCentiv, a Twitter marketing tool.

2. Do some research. “Keyword research will help you identify what your target audience is searching for,” says Ashley Orndorff, market research analyst & copywriter, Visual Impact Group. “Once you know what questions they have and the topics they find interesting, you’ll have a better idea of the types of content they’re likely to find valuable.

“Also check your competitors’ pages to see what types of content get the most engagement,” she suggests. “Are their followers engaging the most with an image with a quote, a funny joke, something about their office day-to-day, certain hashtags?” Figure out what’s working for others and try a similar strategy.

3. Don’t just talk about your business. Instead post content your followers will find interesting or helpful. “If all you do is post articles [about your business], people will lose interest,” says Patrick Gillooly, director of digital communication and social media at Monster. “Be a thought leader by sharing content from a wide variety of sources. That way, you create a compelling stream of information that a potential customer would have more interest following—and a lot of the people whose content you shared might start following you too.”

“Deliver content that is positioned in a way that you are solving a problem for the person vs. being overtly promotional,” says Katie Welch, digital marketing strategist at Flowroute, which provides calling and messaging for cloud-based companies.

4. Engage with followers – and respond quickly to questions. “Remember to keep on top of answering questions and responding to followers with thoughtful responses instead of generic answers,” says Alice Williams, communications specialist, Frontier Business Edge, which provides data, voice, video and equipment solutions to businesses.

Moreover, “if you offer up a custom response to someone who either has interacted with your business or has a need your business can fulfill (e.g., [someone] looking to book a flight [or a trip] if you’re a travel agent), you are very likely to gain a quick follower,” says Gillooly. “Do 5-10 of those interactions a day and your numbers will grow very quickly.”

“For example, if someone tweets, ‘I love the Dallas Cowboys!’ and you sell Cowboys fan gear in your shop, reply that he can shop with you,” and offer a discount or coupon code, says Perrine.

“Keep your finger on the pulse of industry-specific conversations and engage with thoughtful questions and helpful answers,” says Mostafa Razzak, principal, JMRConnect, a public relations & influencer communications company. “Do not patronize or waste people’s time by stating the obvious or making comments that show you haven’t paid attention to what they’ve written or the message they’re trying to convey.”

6. Interact with influencers in your industry. “Interaction with influencers that is not promotional or furthering your own agenda will earn you respect and, by extension, convince [them and their followers] that it’s worth their time to follow your company,” says Razzak.

7. Join groups – and group conversations. “Join groups that are in [your] industry and [post] and comment on posts,” says Mary Cochran, director of marketing, Sleep Easily. “Post articles your company is featured in,” and share articles written by or of interest to others in the group.

8. Give people an incentive to follow you, such as a discount code or free giveaway. “Provide compelling incentives that are available only via Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn,” says Tim Lavelle, director of SEO & social media, U.S. Interactive Media. “Exclusive offers could include coupons, discounts, freebies, limited editions or other things of interest to your targeted audience. When your audience can only acquire a desired discount, deal or exclusive product/service via social media, they’re far more motivated to connect.”

“A great way to generate buzz about your business, as well as increase your social following, is to run a contest,” says Tracy Willis, content strategist, N2Q Consulting, a creative marketing agency. “Think of a quick and simple contest that encourages fans to share information about your business, and reward the winner with a gift card or tickets to an event.”

9. Ask people to follow you. “Use calls to action (CTAs) to directly request that visitors friend, follow, like, etc. your social media profiles,” says Lavelle. “Numerous studies have shown that telling people to do something (or asking them) makes them far more likely to actually do it.”

10. Include easy-to-find links to your social media accounts on your website and/or blog. “You [may be] missing out on followers by not including a link to [your] Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages” on your website and/or blog, says Jennifer Matthews, a marketing specialist at Igniting Business, which provides web design, marketing and technical services to small businesses.

11. Time your posts. “Post content at times when [it is] most likely to get shared [on] each platform,” says Matthews. People look at “Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter [at different times], making it crucial to test which days and times get the most attention for each platform. Finding your ideal audience is all about testing, and you want to post to social media when your target market is active on each platform,” she explains. Also, “make sure to keep track of which posts get the most interaction for each platform, and keep all that data in an organized document that you can refer to easily.”

12. Don’t try to be everywhere for everyone. “Being active and engaged on a few social networks will get you more followers in the long run than posting infrequently across many networks,” says Welch.

13. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. “Do not get hung up on trying to reach as many people as possible,” says Williams. “It can be more valuable to focus on a [smaller] community that is more likely to convert into customers in the long run.”

Tag Archive for: marketing