Student Health Services

Advertising Tobacco Products

·       Many tobacco companies have heavily targeted women in their marketing efforts, and several companies have produced cigarettes specifically for women. 

·       Some tobacco companies disproportionately advertise to certain racial/minority groups.  For example, tobacco brands with names such as Rio, Dorado and American Spirit target American Indians/Alaska Natives much more than any other racial groups. 

·       Producing flavored cigarettes is just one tactic tobacco companies have come up with to legally advertise towards youth. 

·       Athletes are the largest marketing source for spit tobacco, and are often seen on TV using it during a game.

·       Marketing efforts have portrayed cigars as symbols of a luxuriant and successful lifestyle.  Celebrity endorsements, images of attractive women smoking cigars, and product placement in movies have increased the visibility of cigar smoking in American society. 

Articles about Tobacco Advertising

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11226, an interesting article about tobacco companies and their advertising techniques http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0008.pdf, a very good article showing how tobacco companies advertise to America’s youth http://tobaccofreekids.org/reports/addicting/magazines/connolly.pdf, contains good data about tobacco companies’ advertising expenditure http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2005/05/30/tobacco050530.html, a news article about advertising cigarettes to women                                                                   http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07233/810904-114.stm shows a higher percentage of tobacco ads in African American communities http://www.tobaccofreedom.org/issues/documents/advertising/index.html features some interesting ideas about tobacco advertisements http://www.acscan.org/site/DocServer/TP_s_-_marketing_to_minorities.pdf?docID=2021 facts about how tobacco companies advertise to minorities