Is a smartly packaged cigarette deft marketing, or cynical ploy?
When R-J Reynolds launched Camel Number Nine in February, it says it was targeting the established adult female smoker it seeks to lure from other brands. Critics say Reynolds is going after the teenager, the college student or the young woman in her 20s who hasn’t begun to smoke but is vulnerable. The critics point to the packaging — a little black box, sleek and shiny with an elegant border of sophisticated teal or fuschia. Ads for the cigarette are printed on thick, shiny paper and offer makeovers and free cigarettes.
