Box 3.

: Importance of recruiting new smokers

• “The only economy brand to feature significantly in the list of new starter brands is L&B [Lambert and Butler], which has improved its share of this group by over 2% (to 9.5%) since 1997. If this rate of growth persists, it can be expected that the proportion of new starters smoking an economy brand will show some growth in the future” (Rothmans (UK))^w6
• “In 1996 Silk Cut KS was the biggest low tar brand among new entrants by a substantial margin. In 1996-7, the brand's share of new entrants has fallen to almost half its 1996 level—6.0% from 11.2%. Qualitative research has repeatedly identified Silk Cut KS as dated and with an increasingly unappealing image. The brands decline among new entrants can perhaps be explained by the heavy presence of young adults for whom image is an important consideration. The same rationale can be used to explain the continued strength of Marlboro Lights which is the main brand for 7.3% of new entrants compared with 3.1% of all smokers” (Rothmans (UK))^w6
• “[Silk Cut] Ultra [Light] has yet to demonstrate a consistent ability to attract new smokers. The key question is “can we expect the brand to appeal to new entrants—or is there a positioning that we can adopt that makes the brand more attractive to entrants?” (Silk Cut)^w7