Project Orion

Project Orion was an effort by the British American Tobacco company to design a cigarette to appeal to "The guilty smoker obsessed with the pressures brought upon himself by the negative impact of his smoking upon others." It was an effort to stem the declining social acceptability of smoking. The project was proposed around 1984.

Excerpts from a document describing Project Orion:

PROJECT ORION

MARKETING OBJECTIVE: To pre-empt/avoid potential volume decline from consumers pressed by the uncomfort and distress caused to non-smokers in social and work environments. BRAND POSITIONING: An offer that provides mature, discerning adults with a low tar product alternative that brings comfort and reassurance to smoking in social/work environments, whilst delivering good taste and satisfaction.

TARGET CONSUMER: Demographic - Middle class and upscale smokers, 25 to 40 years old, predominantly male (70%). Psychographic - The guilty smoker obsessed with the pressures brought upon himself by the negative impact of his smoking upon others. Both the socially insecure individual highly sensitive to personal rejection provoked by his individual behaviour, and the self-conscious mature smoker genuinely concerned with possible harm to others caused by his actions.

PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES A conventional low-tar cigarette that provides a well balanced, satisfying smoke, plus: low sidestream smoke, reduced ash reduced unpleasant aroma.

CONSUMER PLATFORM (Copy Headline) Keep your friends around and .....SMOKE AT EASE (Copy Body) With new ZENITH cigarettes you can lay back and enjoy a good smoke, puff by puff, without disturbing your surroundings. Only new ZENITH delivers the perfect blend of advanced cigarette technology with low tar taste satisfaction. A delightful atmosphere of pleasant aroma with nearly visible smoke and minimum ash residuals.

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 * Tobacco industry projects & operations