- RJRâs âProject SCUMâ Targeted Gays, the Homeless, Immigrants and Youth
âProject SCUMâ was R.J. Reynoldsâ plan to increase sales of Camel cigarettes in the San Francisco area by marketing them to gay people in the Castro district, ârebellious, Generation Xâ -ers, people of âinternational influenceâ and âstreet people,â by introducing Camel cigarettes into less-traditional retail outlets like âhead shops.â SCUM was an acronym that stood for âSub-Culture Urban Marketing.â RJRâs rationale for the project was a higher incidence of smoking and drug use in these subcultures.