Swedish Match in the USA - 2,000-3,000 stores?

[justintempler]

http://di.se/Default.aspx?pid=130789...qfi8L5sHvp4QAw


Google translate does a crappy job but here goes:

The investment in the Swedish snus portion in the U.S. is expected when the year is complete imply that snus General's approximately 2,000 outlets. At the same time, a more "Americanized" version of the General, another box with fewer bags, be up to 3000 outlets opinion of the Company. Swedish Match has been talking about marketing expenses for 2011 are 50-80 million higher than in 2010 and which so far 20 million taken in the first half.

The expansion of Swedish snus in the U.S. simultaneously with the Swedish Match U.S. snuff (moist snuff) losing ground. After a few years ago have been glorified in a market in the U.S. for almost 13 percent looks years out to go for a share around 11 percent.

A major push of snus into the US market, while their dip sales are down....

[lxskllr]

...a more "Americanized" version of the General, another box with fewer bags...

Because Product testing with Americans determined that Americans want fewer portions for the same price :^D

[Snusdog]

Because Product testing with Americans determined that Americans want fewer portions for the same price :^D

............and don't forget the candy sweet flavoring

[timoteo]

and misleading warnings on label dont never forget

[Darwin]

Brother we must be chopped liver to SM. The few, the proud, the nic addled, the forumistas who count for jack squat in SM's master plan. I don't see how they could have crafted a marketing scheme less likely to appeal to we'uns. It's as if we have somehow been fatally contaminated by exposure to the real Swedish deal, taste, nic, and portion count, and are therefore entirely unrepresentative of the American market. Say what? How diverse (and lordy aren't we just) does a bunch have to be to count as "average" Amurkins?

[Jimbob11]

The whole 15 portion thing pisses me off. Greed is continuing to bring America down. I'm not an ultra left nutjob, just somebody whose been relatively awake the last 40 or so years. But - to get back on topic - as long as they don't start marking up the 24 portion/Loose products accordingly, I am fine with it...

[Snusdog]

Brother we must be chopped liver to SM. The few, the proud, the nic addled, the forumistas who count for jack squat in SM's master plan. I don't see how they could have crafted a marketing scheme less likely to appeal to we'uns. It's as if we have somehow been fatally contaminated by exposure to the real Swedish deal, taste nic, and portion count, and are therefore entirely unrepresentative of the American market. Say what? How diverse (and lordy aren't we just) does a bunch have to be to count as "average" Amurkins?

That is a damn fine post Professor Darwin

Spot on

[Darwin]

Thanks S,dog. It just toasts my buns to witness SM's monkey-see monkey-do approach. They should trumpeting the existing glories of the Swedish snus experience instead of simply trying to coat tail on the "success" of Camel. In this case the flattery of imitation is grotesquely misguided. How's about this for a slogan? "General Snus. For when you don't ever want to smoke again."

The market is smokers you feckless goobers, not dippers. Don't try to horn in on an old established American tradition, start a friggin' new one. Use the novelty, embrace the differences, exploit Americans' fascination with innovation. Set your sights ten miles ahead of that junk in the cutesy metal cans. Lead not follow you d'bags.

[GoVegan]

Too bad Swedish Match didn't come up with a plan to carry General at Wal Mart instead of high end tobacco stores.

[EricHill78]

Too bad Swedish Match didn't come up with a plan to carry General at Wal Mart instead of high end tobacco stores.

This!!!

[rickcharles606]

Brother we must be chopped liver to SM. The few, the proud, the nic addled, the forumistas who count for jack squat in SM's master plan. I don't see how they could have crafted a marketing scheme less likely to appeal to we'uns. It's as if we have somehow been fatally contaminated by exposure to the real Swedish deal, taste, nic, and portion count, and are therefore entirely unrepresentative of the American market. Say what? How diverse (and lordy aren't we just) does a bunch have to be to count as "average" Amurkins?

Thanks S,dog. It just toasts my buns to witness SM's monkey-see monkey-do approach. They should trumpeting the existing glories of the Swedish snus experience instead of simply trying to coat tail on the "success" of Camel. In this case the flattery of imitation is grotesquely misguided. How's about this for a slogan? "General Snus. For when you don't ever want to smoke again."

The market is smokers you feckless goobers, not dippers. Don't try to horn in on an old established American tradition, start a friggin' new one. Use the novelty, embrace the differences, exploit Americans' fascination with innovation. Set your sights ten miles ahead of that junk in the cutesy metal cans. Lead not follow you d'bags.

Fantastic posts Darwin ;-)

The issue here is that many of the people running SMNA are dippers or ex UST executives. They're using the same old game plan that they've been using. Now, I'm not saying that they're entirely wrong here, because letting RJR and PM do the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing and branding of a "new" product in the US isn't a bad idea. SMNA is still a small fish comparatively speaking, so are we...so we do the same thing in regards to the marketing of Swedish snus in the US.

Now, I'd call the online communities "hardened snusers", and we're the one's that have been exposed to real snus and have been using it for years now. We prefer the real traditional types of snus. That includes me guys...I'm not big on flavored snus, and only use it as a dessert from time to time. We're one segment of the target market in the US. Then they're are the smokers, who don't know anything about snus at all, and initially cringe at the thought of putting a smokeless tobacco product in their mouth, no matter how safe it is, lol. Then there are the dippers looking to use a safer smokeless tobacco product. They're actually the toughest market to crack, because dippers also have a ritual. Spitting is a big part of the "experience" for them, and long cut dip offers a very, very different mouth feel than loose snus. I see the benefit in marketing to each of these three groups. So, while we "hardened snusers" are a part of the larger US market, we're the smallest part of the US market. Coincidentally, we're also the part of the market that can effect the most change in public perception, because we know more about snus than almost any other American out there, lol.

Long term I'd like to see Northerner capture large percentages of each market, but we're not willing to sell our soul to the devil to get it. We want to stay true to the traditions of Swedish snus, because we know that these traditions not only embody what our manufacturers stand for, but they also make using Swedish snus so enjoyable.

That being said, we know the primary market in the US is smokers, but the dip market is a BIIIIG pond, and when fishing for the big fish, one must fish in the big pond. Having spoken with several SMNA people, they do have a plan, but it's more of a long term plan. It's my belief that if they walk lockstep with RJR and PM, they will eventually fail, or at the very least allow the door to be opened to another player. I'm completely dedicated to making sure that Northerner will be that player. It's my goal to make certain that anyone that wants to walk into their local store and purchase Swedish snus can do so by the end of 2013. And if their local store doesn't carry snus, let me know, and I'll personally contact them and go to bad to get the retailer to carry it.

Northerner will be rolling out a new program designed especially for the memebers of SnusOn, and any other forum for that matter. I should have the details to everyone in a day or two. I don't want to post it in this thread, so it will have it's own thread, so no one will miss it. We realize that it's the members of the "snus communities" that will help form the national opinion of snus here in the US, and Northerner wants to give some back to you all.

[Darwin]

Tis indeed a conundrum this whole thing Rick old bean. As you said SMNA is focused on the dip market and thus their natural inclination is to pitch snus to existing users of smokeless. To whatever extent this marketing strategy succeeds I'm convinced that it will in tandem fail with smokers many of whom have an extreme distaste for the whole experience. It seems than an additional entirely unrelated marketing track is what is called for in the case of snus since after all the products really are radically different. This may be well beyond SMNA's marketing skills and/or well beyond their promotional budget but without this dual track approach generating buzz and interest among smokers is likely to have highly disappointing results.

There just has to be a way to string words and visuals together that will be effective in bringing the good news of snus to the increasingly besieged smokers of this land. The time is extremely ripe to take advantage of the anti-smoking jihad plagueing the country at present. Gotta be a way. To be honest the challenge makes my grey matter itch and my keyboard calloused fingers twitchy.

SMNA already has a foot lodged firmly in the smokeless door but that portal opens onto the hidebound community of dippers and if there exists a harder core of traditionalists out there I'd be very surprised. Luckily The Northerner is not so conceptually hobbled and has a big leg up on SMNA especially considering the full spelling of those first two letters. A more thickly ironic circumstance is difficult to imagine.

[internope]

Fantastic posts Darwin ;-)

The issue here is that many of the people running SMNA are dippers or ex UST executives. They're using the same old game plan that they've been using. Now, I'm not saying that they're entirely wrong here, because letting RJR and PM do the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing and branding of a "new" product in the US isn't a bad idea. SMNA is still a small fish comparatively speaking, so are we...so we do the same thing in regards to the marketing of Swedish snus in the US.

Can you give us some insight as to how tobacco marketing works at retail?

I would assume that Timberwolf is in way more than 3,000 stores. If Swedish Match can get their dip into stores why is it so hard to them to get a foothold with their snus products?

[justintempler]

Here's a little more detail:

http://di.se/Default.aspx?pid=1309486__TelegramPageProvider&epslangu age=sv&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa% 3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26esrc%3Ds%26source%3Dnewssearch%2 6cd%3D21%26ved%3D0CCUQqQIwADgU%26url%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fdi. se%2FTelegram%2F2011%2F10%2F26%2F1309486%2FSWEDISH-MATCHUSA-VARIANT-GENERAL-1800-2000-BUT-ARSSKIFTE-VD%2F%26ei%3DdImoTvGfAcSftgfE1b0e%26usg%3DAFQjCNHCs-Ap0_dKWbPDGPc3HrfLrD-XMQ%26sig2%3DMDgT1yLSdX_WwsJzFbMUtA

It says CEO Lars Dahlgren Direkt.

In conjunction with the second quarter was presented stated that sales of the traditional form of Swedish General in the U.S. occurred at approximately 1400 retail outlets and that the sight was set to approximately 2000 retail outlets by the end of the year.

"It is a round figure, and exactly what it is at the right end of the year, we shall see. But the trend is the same and we envisage that we grow further in 2012," said Lars Dahlgren.

The Swedish version of the General sold in the classical circular box with 24 bags while the new parallelinvestment in an Americanized version of The General has a square box of 15 pouches. Now it has been talk of up to 3,000 outlets by year end.

"I do not think we will reach all the way to 3000 to this year, but somewhere around 1800-2000 maybe," saysmanaging director n. Mats Square Andersen +46 8 5191 7915 Direkt

[jadedcynic]

I just went to a gas station in Nashville that has General snus. (There are a few here, it's amazingly convenient.) All the US standard flavors. They seem to have hundreds of half off coupons there. I bought an energy drink (that cost $3) and two cans of regular portions. All three cost me about $5.50. The cheap prices may not last long, but what a relief after being scared when the PACT act passed.