184749 **SESSION ABSTRACT** Moving targets: How tobacco industry marketing strategies are evolving

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 8:30 AM

Pamela Ling, MD, MPH , Division of General Internal Medicine, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
M. Jane Lewis, DrPH , School of Public Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
Daniel K. Cortese, PhD , Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Adrienne Mejia, MPH , Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Yogi H. Hendlin, MSc , Department of Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Solana Beach, CA
Olivia Wackowski, MPH , School of Public Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
     
As advertising restrictions increase worldwide, tobacco marketing strategies have increasingly emphasized strategic targets and those that go directly to smokers and under public health's radar screen. In addition, for some products the target audience is changing. Public health professionals must recognize and understand the ways in which targeted marketing strategies have evolved in order to develop effective plans to monitor and counter them. This session introduces examples of different targeted marketing strategies that appear to be increasing in importance, including some that, due to their stealth design, may not be readily recognized. These strategies include direct mail, interpersonal communications, in-venue marketing events, and website promotions, which are difficult to monitor. Presentations will integrate analyses of previously-secret tobacco industry documents with analyses of physical and online archives of tobacco marketing materials. While the research presented focuses on the U.S., implications for global tobacco marketing will be integrated.

The session will include:

(1) Introduction and Context - Dr. Ling (Organizer - 10 minutes)

(2) From Timberline to Camel Snus: RJ Reynolds' smokeless tobacco marketing strategies - Ms. Mejia (15 minutes)

(3) Analysis of print advertising messages and placement and brand websites to assess the changing targets for smokeless tobacco products - Dr. Lewis (15 minutes)

(4) Upscale User: Marketing Cigarettes and Snus to Upwardly Mobile Young Adults - Dr. Cortese (15 minutes)

(5) Marketing to "Hipsters" - Mr. Hendlin (15 minutes) and

(6) Under-the-radar direct marketing tactics using website and email promotions - Ms. Wackowski (15 minutes)

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe three increasingly important targets for tobacco marketing 2. Recognize three strategies used for tobacco marketing that are used increasingly 3. Discuss three strategies to monitor and counter new targeted tobacco marketing tactics

Keywords: Tobacco Industry, Marketing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I organized a well attended session in the 2007 APHA annual meeting. I have been on UCSF faculty since 2002 and doing tobacco research since 1999. I have over 25 peer reviewed publications related to this topic. I have been an invited speaker and expert on tobacco industry marketing at national and international tobacco control meetings.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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