THE HISTORY OF TOBACCO MARKETING
THE HISTORY OF TOBACCO MARKETING
For years, tobacco companies have promoted a richer, more glamorous life through smoking. From free giveaways to physician endorsements to aggressive sponsorship campaigns, tobacco marketing has used every trick in the book to addict new generations of Oklahomans.
The History of Tobacco Marketing
1940s
DOCTOR ENDORSEMENTS
In the 1940s, tobacco companies hired doctors and dentists to endorse their products to reduce public health concerns about smoking risks. Using slogans like “Just What the Doctor Ordered” and “More Doctors Smoke Camels,” tobacco marketing strategies misled people, showing that physicians also smoked and that cigarettes were fine for your health. During World War II, cigarette companies would add free cigarettes to soldiers’ C-rations to keep them addicted. They also sponsored major athletes like Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth.
1950s and 1960s
CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS
In the 1950s and 60s, tobacco companies bought and sponsored their own TV programs and paid A-list celebrities to appear in tobacco advertising campaigns. Later, cultural icons like the Marlboro Man lured men with exaggerated fantasies of manliness and independence, and smokeless tobacco companies used professional athletes to market their products.
1990s
KID-FRIENDLY CHARACTERS
In the 1990s, tobacco companies introduced cartoon characters like Joe Camel to heighten tobacco’s appeal for kids, a market coined “the replacement smokers.” This practice has since been banned, but the deception still continues by means of fruity flavors and brightly colored tobacco, toy-like packaging. Tobacco advertisements are often still placed in stores and gas stations at the direct eye-level of children.
1990s and 2000s
SPORTS AND EVENT MARKETING
For decades, tobacco companies sponsored popular sporting events, as well as various other outreach events. The tobacco company RJ Reynolds sponsored NASCAR’s Winston Cup for 30 years, named after their Winston cigarette brand. They also sponsored “Girls’ Night Out” events where young women could receive free cigarettes, massages, makeup, jewelry and other Camel-branded items. While new regulations have prohibited this type of event sponsorship, tobacco companies still market their products at booths and festivals.
2000s and 2010s
VIDEO GAMES
In the 2010s, tobacco marketing took form in video games, movies and music videos. In all PG-13 movies from 2002 to 2013, almost half showed smoking or other tobacco use. Population surveys, real-world studies and experimental evidence have proven that kids are more likely to smoke when they see tobacco use on screen — a practice that continues with little regulation today.
2020s
MENTAL HEALTH AND SMART VAPES
Today, tobacco marketing continues to target young people in new and sinister ways. Vape companies have marketed their products as “safe stress relievers,” a lie that has made anxiety and depression worse for many users. Smart vapes have also recently hit the market, attracting an audience with games, challenges and customizations that may not have ever started vaping. The tobacco industry has also gotten creative with shipping tactics, using TikTok and other social media channels to promote discreet shipping.
By understanding tobacco industry marketing, you’ll be better prepared to fight their deceptive tactics.