Use of internal documents to investigate a tobacco company’s strategies to market snus in the United States

INTRODUCTION: Prior studies indicate that cigarette manufacturers have been interested for decades in developing a smokeless tobacco (SLT) product for smokers and non-users of SLT. The current study aims to assess a tobacco company’s use of novel marketing strategies and intent to promote snus in the US as either a replacement or situational substitute for the cigarette. METHODS: A Boolean search string was used to search R. J. Reynolds’ (RJR) Records in UCSF’s Truth Tobacco Industry Documents Library. A total of 358 documents, from 2005–2009, met our initial search criteria and were selected for their relevance to the marketing of Camel Snus. A content analysis was subsequently conducted using the Framework Method to identify themes and strategies for promoting Camel Snus. RESULTS: Four major themes about Camel Snus emerged from the documents: 1) promotion by third parties including retailers, snus ambassadors and secret shoppers, 2) expansion of the target population of SLT users to include female smokers and dual users of cigarettes and SLT, 3) emphasis on the difference between Camel Snus and other SLT, and 4) a shift from promoting the practical uses of Camel Snus to using emotional messages conveying freedom. CONCLUSIONS: The findings align with other studies suggesting that RJR intended to market snus to non-users of SLT. The findings also reveal that RJR employed creative marketing strategies (e.g. snus ambassadors) and may have intended to promote snus as a situational substitute for the cigarette, as evidenced by the company’s recruitment of dual tobacco users.