The tobacco industry is moving away from combustible products towards smokeless ones, but developing such offerings is only one – and, arguably, the easier – part of a much bigger shift that is needed.
Changing consumer behaviour, in fact, could be much more difficult.
Many previous attempts at persuading smokers to switch to safer cigarettes have run aground. Early efforts were focused on product attributes – less tar, less nicotine, tobacco substitutes – and at least recognisably involved the same products consumers were accustomed to, even if they were rejected on grounds of taste, flavour etc.
Several more...
