You're the target

Do you feel like you’ve got a target on your forehead? You should. Tobacco companies are in business to sell tobacco, and in order to do that, they need to keep people smoking. There’s just one problem—people keep dying instead. Which means that tobacco companies need to find new smokers to replace the ones who die. And there’s no mystery as to whom they are targeting. Tobacco insider memos prove that the tobacco industry has been targeting teens for decades.

Read the memos

“Today's teenager is tomorrow's potential regular customer… The smoking patterns of teen-agers are particularly important to Philip Morris…”
—1981, Vice president of research and development at Philip Morris (makers of Marlboro).

“They represent tomorrow's cigarette business… As this 14-24 age group matures, they will account for a key share of the total cigarette volume—for at least the next 25 years.”
—1974, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (makers of Camel)

“[C]omic strip type copy might get a much higher readership among younger people than any other type of copy.”
—1973, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. marketing memo

“The base of our business is the high school student… It is the ‘in’ brand to smoke if you want to be one of the group.”
—1978, Lorillard memo (makers of Newport)

Read more tobacco company quotes.

Still up to their old tricks

Even though tobacco companies agreed, in 1998, to stop marketing to youth, they’re still up to their old tricks. Because not only have they continued to target young people, now they’re aggressively targeting women, minorities, and the gay, lesbian and transgender communities too.

Targeting young people is bad enough, but the tobacco companies really know YOU. They specifically aim their advertising at certain groups that you may fall under:

1. Young women and teen girls

Cigarette brands market smoking to young women and teen girls by trying to convince them that smoking makes them independent and socially appealing. Companies market two types of cigarettes to women: feminine brands (such as Camel No. 9) and dual sex brands (like Marlboro—not strictly feminine, but for “the independent, fun-loving woman!”)

2. African Americas

Mentholated cigarettes are heavily promoted in African American communities; 8 out of 10 African American youth smokers smoke Newport, a brand of mentholated cigarettes. African American magazines, such as Ebony and Jet, have more cigarette ads than People or Time.

3. American Indians/Alaska Natives

American Indians/Alaska Natives are often directly targeted through sponsorship of cultural events, such as powwows and rodeos. One cigarette brand, American Spirit™, depicts a Native American on the package, and Native American warriors in advertisements.

4. Hispanics and Latinos

Tobacco companies have contributed to schools, universities, and scholarship programs targeted to the Hispanic and Latino communities.

5. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities smoke at rates 40% to almost 200% higher than the general population (see the fact sheet). Evidence suggests that since the 1980s, the tobacco industry has targeted specific brands to the LGBT community. In 1995 Project SCUM was a "Sub Culture Urban Marketing" scheme proposed by the makers of Camel, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco to sell cigarettes to members of the "alternative life style" areas of San Francisco, in particular the large number of gay people in the Castro neighborhood.

For more information on how the tobacco industry targets young people, visit the Tobacco Free Kids Web site.

Big tobacco strategies

Never underestimate the power of a good strategy. The tobacco industry is feeling the heat from public health efforts to eliminate tobacco use, and so they are using their deep pockets to make sure people keep using their products. The industry uses five major strategies to promote tobacco use: sponsorship, point-of-purchase and promotional advertising, Internet sales and price discounts and product placement in movies. Between 1998 and 2005 tobacco companies nearly doubled their spending on marketing and advertising ($13.1 billion in 2005 alone). And since 2005, tobacco companies have continued to spend billions to promote their products.

1. Sponsorships

Sponsorships are a big part of advertising. When tobacco companies sponsor a rodeo or a bull riding event (for example), they’re not trying to get you to buy something right then—but they want you to remember them, and they know exactly whom they are targeting.

One out of ten teenage boys uses smokeless (spit) tobacco. Tobacco companies use signage, 8-second counters, and many other means of advertising their product at these events.

Rodeos aren’t the only events the industry sponsors. Pampering parties for women (Camel No. 9), club events, concerts, even sorority and fraternity events on college campuses are popular venues that provide easy access to youth and young adults.

2. Point of purchase and promotional advertising

Most of the increase in tobacco companies’ marketing and advertising spending has been in highly visible in-store advertising. Convenience stores are a major part of that effort. Why? Two reasons: In-storeadvertising works, and big tobacco knows that convenience stores are popular with teenagers. In fact, 75% of teens visit convenience stores once a week, (1) and tobacco companies know that teens who see retail ads are 50% more likely to try smoking.

Promotional advertising basically means giving away free stuff, and who doesn’t love free stuff?! Tobacco companies use giveaways like bags, t-shirts, cell phone accessories, etc. to lure new smokers.

Tobacco companies have done their homework and they know that teenagers who own a promotional item and can name one cigarette brand are twice as likely to become established smokers. When they give stuff away they’re betting that you’re going to remember them, and if you remember them, maybe you’ll try  their products. It sounds simple, and it is. But it’s also a one-way ticket to nicotine addiction.

3. Internet sales and price discounts

The rapidly growing number of Web sites selling tobacco products makes it easier and cheaper for teens to buy cigarettes. A 2003 study showed that kids as young as 11 were successful more than 90% of the time in purchasing cigarettes over the Internet because little effort was made to verify the user’s age at the time of purchase or at the time of delivery.

Almost three quarters of the money spent on marketing cigarettes in 2005 ($9.8 billion) was spent on price discounts, because making cigarettes more affordable to kids increases the number of young people who smoke. These price discounts are usually for more expensive brands, which are more popular with youth smokers. See the facts.

4. Product placement in movies

Smoking is common in movies, fueling the idea that smoking is more “normal” than it actually is. This type of advertising is called “product placement.” Here’s how it works: The movie script calls for your favorite actor to smoke like a chimney throughout his latest flick. Smoking is often used as a way to make characters seem “cool,” “bad,” or “reckless.” Tobacco companies like to glamorize smoking in this way, and they pay big money to be the cigarette of choice for your hero.

In 2007, Youth-rated movies (G/PG/PG-13) delivered an estimated 3.1 billion tobacco impressions.

From 1999 to 2006, movies delivered almost 8.8 billion tobacco impressions to teens 12-17 years old. Nonsmoking teens whose favorite stars frequently smoke on screen are 16 times more likely to have positive attitudes about smoking in the future.

75% of the 1,261 Hollywood and independent movies surveyed between 1999 and 2006 included tobacco—including 75% of PG-13 films and 36% of G/PG movies.

But there’s also good news

As of July 2007, Disney became the first major Hollywood studio to ban depictions of smoking, saying there would be NO SMOKING in its family-oriented, Disney-branded movies. And it will “discourage” tobacco use in its Touchstone and Miramax movies. The studio will also place anti-smoking ads on DVDs that depict smoking.

For more information, go to the smoke free movies website

updated: 10.17.2008

BACK TO TOP