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Retail Tobacco Marketing |
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You may not have seen all the tobacco marketing in the stores, but your kids have. It's right there by the register, where they check out. Studies show that kids are twice as likely as adults to notice and remember retail tobacco advertising. The more tobacco marketing they see, the more likely kids are to smoke.
Retail Tobacco Marketing Frequently Asked Questions Q: Why should I be concerned about tobacco marketing in local stores? A: Very few adult smokers begin after high school, with 90 percent of adult smokers starting at or before age 18. Although many adults are not aware of the effect of in-store tobacco ads on youth, research shows that exposure to tobacco marketing in stores is a primary cause of youth smoking. Q: What if tobacco ads in stores were placed where kids couldn’t see them? A: The only way to guarantee that kids aren’t exposed to tobacco ads in stores is to eliminate them or bar children from entering the stores. Tobacco companies know that kids are their next generation of customers. In-store tobacco ads are located to entice youth. Ads are often placed near candy and toys, and on the front of counters less than five feet in height. Q: How do you know the in-store ads are causing kids to smoke? A: Research continues to show that in-store promotions are a major cause of youth smoking. A National Cancer Institute study concluded that exposure to cigarette advertising causes nonsmoking adolescents to initiate smoking and to move toward becoming regular smokers. Another study found young people are more likely to be influenced by cigarette advertising than by peer or parental smoking. A 2008 analysis found a direct relationship between increased teen smoking and the density of tobacco retailers around schools, while a paper published earlier this year found a direct relationship between the frequency that a kid visited stores containing tobacco advertising and his or her risk of becoming a smoker. Weekly or more frequent exposure to retail tobacco marketing is associated with a 50 percent increase in the odds that adolescents will ever smoke, according to the American Journal of Public Health. Q: What’s the difference between tobacco advertising and tobacco displays? A: Tobacco advertising refers to the posters and signage placed inside and outside of stores. Displays are filled with tobacco products like cigarettes, colorful and well lit, often with a large header capping the top of the display. The effect of tobacco ads versus displays on kids is the same – kids are led to believe that smoking is popular, fun and glamorous, and they are tempted to give smoking a try. Citation: Evans, Farkas, Gilpin, et al. "Influence of tobacco marketing and exposure to smokers on adolescent susceptibility to smoking." Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 87(19):1538-1545(1995). Q: Isn’t peer pressure more of an influence on teens to try smoking than marketing in stores? A: No. Research has shown that young people are more likely to be influenced by cigarette advertising than by peer or parental smoking. Q: Tobacco companies can’t advertise on TV, radio or billboards, why shouldn’t they be allowed to advertise where people buy their products? A: Ads were banned on TV, radio, which are federally-regulated media. Tobacco companies agreed to stop advertising on billboards, to stop using cartoon figures in advertising, and to stop giving away branded merchandise like caps and T-shirts, as part of the Master Settlement Agreement with state attorneys general. The settlement restricts magazine advertising to predominantly adult-oriented publications. So stores are one of the last venues where tobacco advertising can influence youth to begin smoking. But in-store advertising, promotions and product displays that are highly attractive and visible to kids remain. Q: Store owners need to make money to survive, how can you ask them to remove tobacco products from public view that help them sell a legal product? A: We’re not blaming store owners at all. We understand that they are doing what they think they need to do to compete in the marketplace. For the most part, the incentives tobacco companies offer store owners tie display contracts to higher compensation for increased cigarette sales. Often tobacco companies pit retailers against each other to drive up overall sales. Q: Haven’t smoking rates among youth gone down over the years? A: Yes, we’ve make progress but kids are still smoking. The New York State youth (ages 12 – 17) smoking rate is 8.2 percent. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. In New York, tobacco kills more than 25,000 people a year. Q: What should communities to do about retail tobacco marketing in stores? A: Communities can reduce youth exposure to tobacco advertising in stores by restricting the location and number of licensed tobacco retailers and banning the display of tobacco products. Q: How do the new rules regarding graphic warning labels on cigarette packs and tobacco advertising announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services affect this Point of Sale awareness initiative? A: While the announcement of the new rules is a historic and positive step, the rules are scheduled to go into effect in the fall of 2012 and could be delayed further based on any legal challenges. In any case, the rule won't eliminate tobacco ads, it will just inject some truth into the picture, and if nothing is done to eliminate or reduce them thousands of kids will try smoking as a result of being exposed to those ads. That’s why raising awareness today is vital.
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