Claims Development Qualitative Program: Multi-Platform MRTP Development
Challenge
Development of cross-category risk claims for a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) submission across 3 platforms: Heat Not Burn, ENDS, and Oral Nicotine Pouches (ONP).
Primary goals: understand claims’ impact, given US Adult Tobacco users perceptions of clarity and effectiveness; and identify opportunities for optimization and refinement.
Approach
M/A/R/C® executed a systematic program to generate a single, cohesive body of work over ~2 years and 8 rounds of research.
- Unbranded “Framework”: Focus groups to assess messaging “framework,”, independent of specific brand or product type. Same core messaging elements used throughout.
- Branded, Product-Specific Claims: Multiple rounds of research per platform. Test branded platform-specific material. Plus, iterative messaging eval: insight across audiences and nuances specific to audience.
- Analytical Approach: systematic analysis of in-depth reactions to every claim: including “pre/post” risk-perceptions and intent to use. Claims were also ranked on clarity and effectiveness.
- Adult Audience Overview: Cigarettes users only, Dual Users Cigarettes + ENDS, Poly Users Cigarettes, ENDS + one other TNP
Outcome
- Category context is key. Current product usage critically for flavors, shaped receptiveness to proposed MRTP messaging.
- M/A/R/C®’s body of work set the standard for the clients’ claims development – basis for their future MRTPA submissions.