The Impact of Tobacco Ads in Magazines
Tobacco advertising reaches kids …
- Magazines ads for 8 of the top 10 cigarette brands reached at least 70% of
kids five or more times in 1999.11
- Kids are more than twice as likely as adults to recall tobacco advertising. A
national telephone survey revealed that while only 23% of adults recalled
seeing tobacco advertising the past 2 weeks, 55% of kids recalled seeing
the advertising.12
- In a British Medical Journal study, 95% of 15-16 year olds surveyed were
aware of tobacco advertising.13
…and it greatly increases their likelihood of smoking.
- “The conclusion that there is a causal relationship between tobacco
marketing and smoking seems unassailable.” – National Cancer Institute14
- Teens are significantly more likely to smoke due to advertising than they
are due to peer pressure.15
- An estimated 1/3 of adolescent experimentation with smoking can be
directly attributed to tobacco advertising and promotional activities.
Perhaps this is because tobacco advertising is so attractive to kids:
nonsmoking children that have a favorite cigarette ad are two times more
likely to begin smoking in the future than those who do not. 16
- The correlation has been reproduced repeatedly. Adolescents exposed to
higher amounts of cigarette print ads are more likely to be smokers and
they are more likely to have friends that smoke. Meanwhile, adolescents
with low levels of exposure to cigarette print ads are half as likely to smoke
than those with high levels of exposure. 17
 Yet tobacco companies keep at it…
- Cigarette advertising in magazines with at least 15% youth readerships
increased by 30% ($30 million) in the year following the Master Settlement
Agreement’s ban on billboard ads.18
- In 2000, tobacco companies spent $59.6 million in advertising for the most
popular youth brands in youth magazines. That year, magazine ads for the
three most popular youth brands (Marlboro, Newport, and Camel) reached
more than 80% of young people in the us an average of 17 times.19
- In 2001, US Smokeless Tobacco (Skoal, Copenhagen) spent $9.4 million
advertising in magazines with high youth readership. This is nearly double
the amount spent before the Smokeless Tobacco Master Settlement
Agreement. Nearly half of the company’s overall advertising (before and
after the MSA) remains in youth oriented magazines.20
…because they know brand loyalty begins early.
"KOOL’s stake in the 16-25-year-old population segment is such that the
value of this audience should be accurately weighed and reflected in
current media programs. As a result, all magazines will be reviewed to
see how efficiently they reach this group.”
Brown & Williamson Tobacco
Company marketing memo, 1973.
- Among adolescents, the advertisements most likely to be seen, to be liked,
and to be viewed as making smoking more appealing, are for the brands
most commonly smoked by adolescents, Camel and Marlboro. Over 40% of
adolescents feel that Marlboro ads make smoking more appealing, and
nearly half feel that Camel ads make smoking more appealing.21
- Each day, more than 4,000 kids try smoking for the first time, and another
2,000 kids become regular daily smokers. 85% of these youth smokers
prefer Marlboro, Camel, and Newport – three of the most heavily advertised
brands. 22
References
“Marlboro’s phenomenal growth rate in the past has been attributable in
large part to our high market penetration among young smokers…15 to
19 years old…my own data, which includes younger teenagers, shows
even higher Marlboro market penetration among 15-17-year-olds.”
Philip
Morris report, 1975.
11American Legacy Foundation. “Tobacco Brand Advertising to Teens.” May 2001.
12“National telephone survey of 501 kids aged 12 to 17 and 1,012 adults conducted for
the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (TFK)” International Communications Teen
Excel Study. March 2004.
13MacFayden, Linda, et al. “Cross sectional study of young people’s awareness of and
involvement with tobacco marketing.” BMJ. March 2001; 332:513-517.
14National Cancer Institute. “Changing Adolescent Smoking Prevalence.” Smoking
and Tobacco Control Monograph No.14. NH Pub. No. 02-5086, November 2001.
15Evans, N, et al. “Influence of Tobacco Marketing and Exposure to Smokers on
Adolescent Susceptibility to Smoking.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
October 1995; 87(19): 1538-1545.
16Pierce, John P., et al. “Tobacco industry promotion of cigarettes and adolescent
smoking.” JAMA. February 1998; 279(7):511-515.
17Botvin, Gilbert J., et al. “Smoking behavior of adolescents exposed to cigarette
advertising.” Public Health Reports: Journal of the US Public Health Service.
March-April 1993; 108(2):217-224.
18Turner-Baker, Diane. “Cigarette Advertising Expenditures Before and After Master
Settlement Agreement: Preliminary Findings.” Massachusetts Department of Public
Health. May 15, 2000.
19King, C and Siegel, M. “The Master Settlement Agreement with the tobacco
industry and cigarette advertising in magazines.” New England Journal of Medicine.
August 2001; 345(7): 504-511.
20Massachusetts Department of Health. “Smokeless Tobacco Advertising
Expenditures Before and After the Smokeless Tobacco Master Settlement
Agreement.” May 2002.
21Arnett, Jeffrey J. and Terhanian, George. “Adolescents’ responses to cigarette
advertisements : links between exposure, liking, and the appeal of smoking.” Tobacco
Control. 1998; 7:129-133.
22Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “Results
from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.”
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