Tobacco Products Promotion
Since the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) that tobacco companies entered with 46 states, the tobacco industry has changed the way that they do business. Because of restrictions in marketing and advertising, tobacco companies have gotten more creative in attracting new business. After the MSA was signed, the industry actually increased their annual expenditures on marketing - from $6.9 billion in 1998 to $12.7 billion in 2002.

Marketing efforts especially those aimed at college students and others in the 18 to 21 year-old age group have stepped up considerably.

Some of the promotional activity includes:
Tobacco Company Bar Promotions – Tobacco companies sponsor parties for bartenders as well as offering free trips to resorts. They make direct payments to bartenders and bar owners and pay for in-bar advertising, promotional items and free samples. Participants attending events such as “Marlboro Party Nights” and “Parliament Party Zones” receive free gifts such as CD players and free trips.
Brand Sponsored Musical Events at Bars and Other Locations – Tobacco companies sponsor special musical events at bars and other venues to reach young customers. Philip Morris held 117 musical events in 1999 that only admitted people who had accumulated the required amount of “Marlboro Miles.”
Smokeless Tobacco Promotions - During the summer of 2004, youth partners across New York State conducted observational surveys of county fairs and family events such as Firemen Field Days, and street festivals. Partners found a number of incidents of tobacco company promotional activities at these events, particularly the promotion of smokeless tobacco products.
Youth Focused Tobacco Related Merchandise – Packaging cigarettes with free items is a popular marketing technique. In July 2000 Brown and Williamson began packaging “Kool” with a free mini radio and earphones to compliment their “Kool Scene” music and dance parties at bars and nightclubs.
Direct Mail – The tobacco industry maintains a list of their customers and potential customers and sends coupons, discount offers, brand loyalty programs, sweepstakes announcements and product gifts.
Glitzy Websites - Interactive websites that offer free coupons, games, sweepstakes and gifts for brand loyal participants have become very popular.

What Can You Do?
Report any tobacco company promotions you see to your local community partnership.
Talk to organizational decision makers about tobacco company promotions and ask them to sign a pledge not to participate.

Learn more by clicking on PDF documents or links below.

Overview ........ Fact Sheet

Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control Fact Sheet http://tobaccofreekids.org/campaign/global/docs/9.pdf

The Impact of Tobacco Promotional Events
http://notobaccoads.org/asp_promotion.asp

------------------------------------------------------------

1. US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Cigarette Report for 2002, October 22, 2004 (data for top six manufactures only), http://ftc.gov/reports/cigarette/041022cigarettereport.pdf.
2. “Despite Restrictions, Philip Morris Gets Personal and Gets Results, Tobacco International (January/February 2000); National Public Radio, “Profile: New Advertising Practices by the Tobacco Companies After the 1998 Tobacco Settlement” (January 22, 2001).
3. Brady, D. “Tobacco Firms Puffing Up Existing Smokers Egos,” USA Today (October 5, 1999); Diehl, M. “Smokin’ Grooves: Concert Series Brings Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth and others to Marlboro Country,” Rolling Stone (November 25, 1999).
4. Fairclough, G., “Brown and Williamson Campaign Targets Younger Adult Smokers.” Wall Street Journal (June 30, 2000).