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TOBACCO ADVERTISING
source: www.wpro.who.int/media_centre/
fact_sheets/fs_20020528.htm
www.tobaccofreekids.org/
campaign/global/docs/advertising.pdf
quitsmoking.about.com/cs/
antismoking/a/statistics_2.htm
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Each year, the tobacco industry spends billions of dollars around the globe on advertising, marketing and promotion… - studies show that the majority of smokers begin before the age of 18, the logic of the industry dictates that it must somehow reach young people. Recently disclosed industry documents reveal that the companies have carefully studied the habits, tastes and desires of their potential customers - including women, children and other historically low-smoking groups - and then used that research to develop products and marketing campaigns aimed at them;
- according to the World Health Organization, among young teens (aged 13 to 15), about 1 in 5 smokes worldwide. Between 80,000 and 100,000 children worldwide start smoking every day - roughly half of whom live in Asia. Evidence shows that around 50% of those who start smoking in adolescent years go on to smoke for 15 to 20 years;
- despite industry denials, the overwhelming majority of independent, peer-reviewed studies show that tobacco advertising leads to an increase in consumption. And tobacco advertising has a powerful effect among young people. A survey a few years ago found that nearly 80% of American advertising executives from top agencies believed cigarette advertising does make smoking more appealing or socially acceptable to children. Through advertising, tobacco firms try to link smoking with athletic prowess, sexual attractiveness, success, adult sophistication, adventure and self-fulfilment;
- in the United States alone, with less than 5% of the world’s smokers, the tobacco industry’s total marketing expenditure in 2001 was more than US$11.4 billion; (1)
- in Asia, tobacco companies are among the top 10 advertisers in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines. In Cambodia, tobacco companies are major advertisers, accounting for 13% of all advertising in 2000. Street advertising of cigarettes rose by 400% between 1994 and 1997. In 1997, 50% of all street advertising was for tobacco products. After the entry of foreign multinational tobacco firms into Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand, youth and female smoking rose significantly;
- in Russia, according to press reports, foreign tobacco companies are the largest advertisers, accounting for as much as 40% of all TV and radio advertising;
- in the US, pro-tobacco editorial content of young men’s magazines rose by 70% and pro-tobacco ads almost quadrupled between 1991 and 2000, according to a study published in 2003. Researchers found that over one year the six leading magazines in the market carried 635 pages of tobacco coverage, including 429 pages of advertisements and promotions; (2)
- studies have shown that following the introduction of brand advertisements that appeal to young people, the prevalence of use of those brands, and even the prevalence of smoking altogether, increases. In the United States, an estimated 86% of US teenagers who smoke use the three most heavily advertised brands – Marlboro, Camel and Newport – even though these brands constitute only 30% of the US adult market;
- in four countries where advertising bans have been introduced as part of a comprehensive tobacco control policy (Finland, France, New Zealand and Norway), a recent study showed that per capita consumption of cigarettes dropped by between 14% and 37% after the implementation of the ban. Smoking prevalence among young people declined in three of the four countries and remained stable in the fourth;
- furthermore, the rate of decline in smoking was much steeper in those countries with relatively comprehensive bans. Both the World Health Organization and the World Bank recommend that countries prohibit all forms of tobacco advertising and promotion. Such bans, if adopted globally, could reduce worldwide demand by around 7%. However if governments only ban tobacco advertising in one or two media, the industry will simply shift its advertising expenditures, with no effect on overall consumption;
- a number of governments have banned all forms of tobacco advertising, while others are instituting tough restrictions: Australia, Finland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore and Thailand, among others, have banned all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. In June 1998, the European Union agreed to phase out all direct and indirect tobacco advertising by 2006;
- tobacco companies consistently predict that ad bans will have severe economic impacts on advertisers, the media and the economy as a whole. In most cases, however, tobacco advertising constitutes a small percentage of total advertising revenue, minimizing the economic impact on media outlets currently accepting tobacco ads. Hong Kong, for example, imposed a total ban on tobacco advertising on television and radio in 1990. By 1996, advertising revenue at the two main television stations had increased more than 500%. Thailand introduced a total ad ban in 1992, yet overall ad spending increased by 42% between 1993 and 1995.
Despite early evidence suggesting that state-sponsored anti-tobacco media campaigns may reduce adult smoking, few studies have explored their effect on youth…- the first study conducted on the impact of state-sponsored anti-tobacco advertisements shows an increase in anti-smoking attitudes among youths. The study examined the relationship between the viewed anti-tobacco ads and the beliefs and behaviours related to smoking in youth. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago used a system called targeted ratings point (TRP) to review the advertisement's effects on the youth. For example, if an ad has 80 TRPs per month, it means 80% of teens have seen the ad on average one time. It examined 51,085 students in 48 states; (3)
- the results show states with a TRP measure of one or higher have students who are less likely to report having smoked in the past 30 days (19%). They are also more likely to see the serious harm in smoking a pack or more a day (72%) and are more likely to say they will not be smoking in five years (64%). States with no exposure to anti-smoking ads have significantly less favourable percentages (28; 65; 55 respectively).
(1) US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Cigarette Report for 2001, June 12, 2003 (data for top six manufacturers only), [ www.ftc.gov/os/2003/06/2001cigreport.pdf]. FTC, Federal Trade Commission Smokeless Tobacco Report for the Years 2000 and 2001, August 2003, (top five manufacturers). [ www.ftc.gov/os/2003/08/2k2k1smokeless.pdf]
(2) [ bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/326/7382/182/a]
(3) [ www.tobacco.org/articles/category/advertising/?top_only=1]
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