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To recapture lost market share, tobacco giant R. J. Reynolds (RJR) developed Uptown, the first cigarette brand created and targeted specifically at a minority group—in this case, African-Americans. RJR planned to launch a six-month test market in Philadelphia in February 1990, which coincided with national Black History Month. The launch generated grassroots opposition from the black community in Philadelphia, which became intent on ensuring there was “No Uptown in our town or any town.”
After analyzing the case, students should be able to:
Identify some of the complex issues surrounding targeting specific populations
Recognize the importance of understanding cultural context
Recognize the limits of profit-based decision-making
© The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
2013
Cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. The authors gratefully acknowledge support from National Cancer Institute Grant #RO1 CA095985 in researching and writing this case. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 847-491-5400 or e-mail cases@kellogg.northwestern.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the Kellogg School of Management.
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