B&W's Capri Blows 'Less Smoke' Message

Brandweek, July 3, 2000 by Mike Beirne

Capri leans on fashion and a bit of political correctness to appeal to its urban, professional, well-educated female following on both coasts through new print and a direct mail campaign from Grey, N.Y

The Brown & Williamson brand vies for 24- to 35-year-old women with the working tagline "Distinctly Slimmer, Suprisingly Tasteful, Remarkably Stylish 7 in sketch illustrations such as a woman in a convertible with headline, "Beauty is in the driver's seat," to exude an artsy yet contemporary elegance.

The execution, once a direct mail piece from Grey Direct, prompted the brand team to follow its "gut," said John Heironimus, division vp-premium niche brands, and test it in database marketing and custom publications Flair and Simple Living, which reach a combined 2.5 million readers.

Ads were still being tweaked but will likely will hit such titles as Glamour and Cosmopolitan by year-end or early 2001. Budget has yet to be determined, but spending last year hit $9.4 million, per Competitive Media Reporting.

Capri also will aim functional message at its older core audience for whom lighting up in social settings can turn them into pariahs. "Superslim Capri means less smoke for those around you," poses the image of a woman with a lit cigarette in conversation with two men.

The tag, "Superslim size. Great Tobacco flavor" returns the focus on the attribute that first touted the brand when it was introduced in 1987. With the bulk of Capri consumers in big cities like New York and Los Angeles, per Heironimus, the less smoke message positions Capri as the polite brand for social interaction. Ads also warn that less smoke does not mean safer. Capri's first quarter market share edged up to 0.7% vs. 0.6% in the comparable 1999 period.