Let the Kids be Kids - A Brief History of Tobacco Industry Marketing
Tobacco companies all have one thing in common: their inability to leave the kids alone. They understand that their longevity depends upon their ability to convince young adults to become loyal consumers. The tactics used to persuade “pre-smokers” (their term for new customers) have adjusted with new regulations over the years, but have not become any less obvious.
The History of Tobacco Marketing
No history of tobacco marketing is complete without talking about Joe Camel of Camel cigarettes. The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) created the Joe Camel character for the French tobacco market in 1974, but it did not make its way across the Atlantic until 1988. From 1988 to 1997, Joe Camel became a character as well known as Mickey Mouse among preschool aged children according to the Journal of the American Medical Association’s 1991 study.
The advertisements portrayed a fun-loving camel named Joe, along with his crew, dressed in leather and sunglasses. The cartoon characters were paired with bright colors and plastered on billboards, buildings, magazines, and television. The marketing campaign paid off for RJR by influencing young smokers to purchase Camels instead of other mainstream brands like Marlboro.
In 1997, the Clinton administration and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claimed that the Joe Camel marketing tactics by the RJR tobacco company violated federal law by appealing to children who were too young to purchase tobacco products. Specifically, they claimed that “after the campaign began the percentage of kids who smoked Camels became larger than the percentage of adults who smoked Camels.”
The Joe Camel debacle came to an end in 1997 when Joe Camel ads were retired, but the battle against the tobacco industry’s obsession with young smokers still continues today. Since 1997, many laws have been put into place by the Federal Division of Agriculture (FDA) – including the prohibition of fruit-flavored cigarettes and e-cigarette cartridges in 2020.
Again, in 2011, Philip Morris International (PMI) launched yet another youth-centric advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes. At the height of the rock music scene for millennial youths, Marlboro launched the “Be Marlboro” campaign with ads depicting rock and roll concerts, young couples kissing, and adrenaline-junkies achieving their goals alongside slogans like “No More Maybe.”
The advertising campaign was hit with major backlash as it was apparent that the ads were targeted at young consumers. Though the campaign was never banned in the United States, it came to an end in 2016.
In 2020, Juul Labs was in the hot seat as they were sued over 5,000 times for their deceptive marketing tactics. Juul is an e-cigarette brand selling cartridges of nicotine liquid. The brand featured many fruit flavors that were enticing to young adults and routinely advertised products on the Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network websites, according to a lawsuit filed in 2020.
Again, a company selling tobacco and nicotine products used young models to persuade younger generations to pick up the habit. Paired with brightly colored ads strategically placed on social media and websites frequented by young adults, these tobacco companies struck gold (even if short-lived).
Tobacco Industry Regulations
Since the inception of the cigarette, there have been continuous regulatory actions against the tobacco industry. Unfortunately, it can be argued, none of these regulations even came close to destabilizing the industry. In 2023, there were 262 tobacco industry lobbyists in the United States who together spent nearly $28 Million dollars on lobbying influential law makers.
It’s clear that the tobacco industry is here to stay, but the laws governing the manufacturers and retailers continue to evolve. The question is: “Are they changing enough to keep kids safe?”
For example, fruit flavored e-cigarette cartridges have been outlawed yet disposable e-cigarettes and cigars were not affected. Similarly, chewing tobacco flavors were outlawed while nicotine pouches are virtually untouched by regulation. Another category of nicotine products that are nearly untouched is e-liquid used to refill electronic vape pens. These products are sold at all smoke shops and come in every flavor imaginable. The kids are still addicted and the products are still widely available.
It almost seems like government agencies put forth just enough regulation to appear concerned about the children picking up these products before the age of 21, but do not go far enough to prevent more sales. They appease the parents of injured children by creating new restrictions only when public outcry is unavoidable.
Thankfully, some FDA regulations do affect the major tobacco and nicotine brand marketing campaigns. Manufacturers, retailers, and distributors are prohibited from:
“Sponsor(ing) athletic, musical, artistic or other social or cultural event, or any entry or team in any event.” (FDA)
Marketing specifically to audiences under 21
Providing free samples
Advertising without a health warning label
Advertising and marketing to youth under 21 (FDA)
Want more details on how the tobacco industry regulations have evolved? Check out our blog here!
Current Marketing Tactics of the Tobacco Industry
The major selling point for many of the modern tobacco and nicotine products is simple: they’re not cigarettes. They’re “healthier alternatives” to the typical addictive cigarette, according to the executive teams, and can help adults “stop smoking.”
Since Juul’s legal issues came to a head in 2020, the FDA forces products filled with nicotine to show they are helping alleviate the tobacco addiction issue here in the United States. Unfortunately, these products used as an exit strategy for adult smokers have become the gateway drug of choice for young smokers.
Take one of the latest examples: Zyn Nicotine pouches. The product is presented as a healthier alternative to chewing tobacco and is unique as it can be consumed anywhere. Unlike chewing tobacco, Zyn pouches do not require the consumer to spit, thus allowing for consumption anywhere, anytime.
Zyn pouches have taken social media by storm through their Zyn Rewards program, which allows customers to redeem each can of Zyn pouches they have purchased for Zyn points. They can then use these points to purchase products like Apple watches and other high-price items.
Female creators on Tik Tok and Instagram share information on how to capitalize on their boyfriends’ addiction by redeeming their points for Amazon gift cards and other desirable items. Millennials and gen-Z customers make up the majority of the whopping 131.6 million cans of pouches purchased in 2023.
Because Zyn pouches are not technically combustible tobacco, they are not beholden to the many FDA regulations banning like offering coupons, branded merchandise, sponsoring events and giving away free samples. They also are not beholden to the 2020 FDA flavor-ban and can continue to offer many fruity and sweet flavored pouches.
It is clear to see that nicotine and tobacco products are still being advertised to kids under the age of 21. The lion’s share of messaging about these products come from their peers on social media. Because of this deceptive messaging, kids are doing everything they can to get their hands on these products in an effort to fit in with the crowd. It’s up to local business owners and community members to ensure the products are only sold to adults over the age of 21.
Stinger Compliance Mitigates Risk for Retailers
Products using deceptive marketing and targeting young people are putting retailers at risk of selling to a minor. As mentioned before, kids will do just about anything to purchase these products. It is imperative that retailers selling tobacco and nicotine products are aware of the current regulations and are checking IDs for all tobacco and nicotine purchases.
Age-restricted products like alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis must be handled in compliance with federal and state laws. If mis-handled, retailers and their employees can face harsh fines and penalties.
Law enforcement agencies regularly sting tobacco and alcohol retailers to check if minors can purchase these age-restricted products without an ID. Failing a municipal sting can result in jail time for employees, fines for business owners, and legal trouble if too many stings are failed.
This is where Stinger Compliance can help. Stinger Compliance’s team of trained legal adults conduct private stings scheduled by business owners, anonymously purchasing age-restricted products during the scheduled time. The Stinger Compliance team verifies that IDs are checked and that all tobacco compliance measures are in place. This provides confidence to business owners by providing visibility into their team’s level of compliance.
If a private sting is failed, there is no risk to business owners or their employees. All data is provided to the business owner and any disciplinary or training actions required can be carried out by management. It’s simple to get started and risk-free.
Ready to get started? Book your first Sting with Stinger Compliance today!
