Our aim was to use a quota sample of at least 400 smokers, so that the results of the study could be analyzed in a meaningful way. To achieve this objective, we trained 110 undergraduate marketing students of the Krakow Academy of Economics. First, the students were exposed to the means-end theory and laddering methods during several marketing research classes. Then, each of them filled out our laddering questionnaire and provided the researchers with comments about this exercise. Since most of the students were not smokers, the topic of this pilot study was wine consumption. As a result of this feedback, we modified the smoking questionnaire by adding in the upper right corner of the first page a short example listing possible wine attributes, associated consequences, and reasons for drinking wine. As possible attributes of wine following the advice of our students, we eventually used the term “characteristics”, as easier to understand) we offered: crispy, sweet, expensive, and low alcohol content). As an example of a benefit stemming from the attribute “Low alcohol content” we pointed to “Avoid getting drunk”. Finally, we offered “Maintain respect of others” as a possible reason why “Avoid getting drunk” could be important to the respondent. We adopted the above example of a wine ladder from the laddering study described in Reynolds and Gutman (1988). We admit that adding this example of a wine ladder was a subject of lengthy discussions among the researchers. We did not want the smokers filling out the questionnaire to be in any way influenced by our choice of these exemplary terms. That is why we were careful not to offer too many ideas that might apply also to smoking.