British American Tobacco has developed Glo, the alternative to the traditional cigarette, that uses Advanced Heat technology and warms the tobacco up to 240° without burning it, making its entrance into a market that is estimated to reach $17.9B in 2021, in the US alone (Euromonitor, 2017).
Glo was created in the BAT Centre of Excellence in Great Britain: how is it being launched in the Italian market? Through which touchpoints? With which activities?
We have led a co-creation process with the BAT team to define the Italian consumer profile, focus on the value proposition of Glo, develop the launch strategy on the various channels and help design the stores in Milan and Turin, which opened in October and July 2018 respectively.
A smarter and satisfying routine
Glo offers an optimal user experience, maintaining the routines of tobacco smokers and giving satisfaction with a unique style: an alternative which is less harmful to your health than the traditional cigarette, for the contemporary smoker who is attracted by latest- generation technological products and the image of aspirational brands.
Three enablers for success
How can we make the brand promise tangible? We have identified three enablers to position in successfully on the Italian market:
- aspiration
- loyalty
- availability.
Building a brand that is able to inspire its users with messages and the image it conveys; a brand that is capable of retaining its consumers and at the same time making them “ambassadors”; a brand that is accessible in all the relevant moments of the smoker’s experience.
We have therefore designed a go-to-market strategy and its implementation roadmap, defining the touchpoints into which it is divided (flagship stores, resellers, website, social networks, ambassadors and agents) as well as the key activities that have driven them.
The “glo studio”
The flagship store project aimed to convey the British American Tobacco expertise and create the stage to present Glo and its innovative technology.
The space has been organised into three areas to accompany the customer as they discover the product. It starts from an area that attracts and welcomes, which has walls of screens clearly visible from the road, leading to the Glo hub, a central hub around which the discovery and interaction with the new technology takes place, to then reach the trial area, where you can try Glo and immerse yourself in the user experience.
The circularity of the brand is reflected in the hub and defines the layout of the store, the design of furniture and the custom-made lamps. The environment is on the one hand very bright and materially technological, to underline the innovative spirit of the product, and on the other hand more natural and immersive, to associate its use with more classic emotions.
The overall experience is enhanced by the fab lab, where you can customise Glo and print custom-made accessories.
British American Tobacco (BAT), a tobacco company founded in 1902, is one of the world’s leading multinationals, whose brand is sold in over 200 markets and boasts 44 factories in 42 countries.
