These days, you don’t really see advertising for cigarettes or any other form of tobacco, but tobacco companies used to advertise their products heavily on television, radio, and billboards. Today there is legislation regulating the advertising of tobacco products, and those mediums are all banned. Unfortunately, the industry continues to find ways around these rules.
Before the regulations came to be, many of these ads were geared toward younger people, featuring cartoon mascots (remember Joe Camel?) and even doctors, to give them an air of legitimacy. Tobacco manufactures also used to sponsor National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) drivers, and for a while the championship series was called the Winston Cup, after its sponsor Winston cigarettes. The target demographic for NASCAR is young men.
In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act gave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products, including some of the industry’s marketing practices. The act banned the use of vending machines and samples, and it restricted the sale of tobacco in retail establishments to face-to-face transactions. It also expanded the existing limits on tobacco brand sponsorships and branding of non-tobacco items. Some states also ban flavored tobacco products, coupons, and discounts.
There are ways that tobacco companies can get around these rules. For one thing, it’s perfectly legal for grocery stores, gas stations, and other businesses to place tobacco products and advertisements front and center by the register.
While it’s easy enough to prohibit the sale of tobacco to minors in face-to-face transactions, internet sales are a problem. In 2002, California passed legislation that required online cigarette vendors to verify the age of buyers upon both purchase and delivery, but it turned out that none of the vendors actually complied. Interestingly, an attempt to visit the websites of most cigarette manufacturers results in a page requiring the user to register and confirm that they are over the age of 21. The Camel website, for example, has a disclaimer that reads “R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company only markets its tobacco products to tobacco consumers who are 21 years of age or older.” Unfortunately, the age verification is laughable – often you only have to check a box saying you’re 21 or enter a fake birth date.
Another way that tobacco companies get around advertising laws is through social media. One study found that 123 hashtags were associated with tobacco products and had been viewed 8.8 billion times in the United States alone and 25 billion times around the world. In reaction, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Lung Association and other public health groups filed a petition with the Federal Trade Commission against Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International, and Imperial Brands. The petition claims that these companies are targeting young consumers with misleading social media marketing.
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