The Menthol Marketing Mix: Targeted Promotions For Focus Communities in the United States

Cruz, Tess Boley; La, Wright; Crawford, George E.

doi:10.1093/ntr/ntq201

Cited by 64 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Tobacco companies used a variety of marketing methods to reach the African American market to increase sales,8 14 43 44 including concentrating menthol cigarette advertisements in popular African American magazines and television programmes 8 44. Tobacco companies found that African Americans were more likely than white people to trust advertising and promotional campaigns targeted at them 44.…”

Section: The Tobacco Companies Targeted Vulnerable Groups For Mentholmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tobacco companies reinforced conventional advertising campaigns in several ways. Tobacco companies formed organisational and philanthropic relationships with black community groups and civil rights organisations,45 developed tailored brands in the 1990s (such as RJ Reynolds' Uptown and an independent Boston firm's X44 46) and targeted black urban neighbourhoods by distributing free menthol cigarettes using mobile vans in the 1980s and early 1990s, as well as using retailer incentive programmes 14 43…”

Section: The Tobacco Companies Targeted Vulnerable Groups For Mentholmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Menthol: putting the pieces together

Lee

Glantz

2011

Tob Control

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ObjectiveTo integrate information on cigarette companies' understanding and use of menthol as summarised in published research based on previously internal tobacco industry documents with results from large population-based surveys of tobacco use and other independent sources.Data sourcesPapers published in this supplement of Tobacco Control, together with papers identified using PubMed searches.ResultsTobacco companies shaped consumer perceptions of menthol cigarettes. Menthol is not just a flavouring agent. Cigarette companies use menthol's ability to mask irritation and provide sensory effects to make menthol cigarettes appeal to youth and health-concerned smokers, in part because menthol makes low-tar cigarettes more palatable. Consistent with targeted marketing, youths, women and African Americans disproportionately smoke menthols. There appear to be complex interactions with addictive effects of nicotine. The ubiquitous addition of menthol by tobacco companies to over 90% of all tobacco products, whether labelled ‘menthol’ or not, demonstrates that menthol is not simply a flavour or brand. Menthol imparts sensory characteristics to cigarettes and has a complex interaction with nicotine that affects smoking behaviour whether it is perceived or not, or whether cigarettes containing menthol are marketed as ‘menthol’ or not. Adding menthol increases fine particles in cigarette smoke, which have immediate adverse effects on the risk of heart attack.ConclusionInformation from industry documents, confirmed by independent scientific literature, consistently demonstrates that menthol increases population harm from smoking by increasing initiation and reducing cessation in some groups. Menthol facilitates and increases smoking, which causes disease and death.

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Section: The Tobacco Companies Targeted Vulnerable Groups For Mentholmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Tobacco Companies Targeted Vulnerable Groups For Mentholmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menthol: putting the pieces together

Lee

Glantz

2011

Tob Control

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“…The ubiquity of tobacco marketing at the POS is such that tobacco advertisements are the only indication of a grocer's presence in some neighbourhoods 3. Industry documents show careful attention to improving profits by leveraging retail environments,4 with an emphasis on initiating or retaining smokers5 and exploiting vulnerable markets 6. POS tobacco marketing expenditures are significant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review of store audit methods for assessing tobacco marketing and products at the point of sale

et al. 2013

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Objective Over four-fifths of reported expenditures for marketing tobacco products occur at the retail point of sale (POS). To date, no systematic review has synthesized the methods used for surveillance of POS marketing. This review sought to describe the audit objectives, methods, and measures used to study retail tobacco environments. Methods We systematically searched 11 academic databases for papers indexed on or before March 14, 2012, identifying 2,906 papers. Two coders independently reviewed each abstract or fulltext to identify papers with the following criteria: (1) data collectors visited and assessed (2) retail environments using (3) a data collection instrument for (4) tobacco products or marketing. We excluded papers where limited measures of products and/or marketing were incidental. Two abstractors independently coded included papers for research aims, locale, methods, measures used, and measurement properties. We calculated descriptive statistics regarding the use of 4 P’s of marketing (product, price, placement, promotion) and for measures of study design, sampling strategy, and sample size. Results We identified 88 store audit studies. Most studies focus on enumerating the number of signs or other promotions. Several strengths, particularly in sampling, are noted, but substantial improvements are indicated in the reporting of reliability, validity, and audit procedures. Conclusions Audits of POS tobacco marketing have made important contributions to understanding industry behaviour, the uses of marketing, and resulting health behaviours. Increased emphasis on standardization and the use of theory are needed in the field. We propose key components of audit methodology that should be routinely reported.

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“…To examine the impact of tobacco product price discounts at the point of sale, previous studies have relied on observational evidence 11–13 and self-reported purchasing behaviors. 14–16 Although retail scanner data have been used to assess trends in tobacco product sales volumes and prices, 17–19 analyses of price discounts are limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sales Trends in Price-Discounted Cigarettes, Large Cigars, Little Cigars, and Cigarillos—United States, 2011–2016

Wang

Falvey

Gammon

et al. 2017

Nicotine &Amp; Tobacco Research

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Introduction Tobacco manufacturers continue to implement a range of pricing strategies to increase the affordability and consumption of tobacco products. To demonstrate the extent of retail- and brand-level price discounts at the point of sale, this study assessed national sales trends in price-discounted cigarettes, large cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos. Methods Retail scanner data for tobacco product sales were obtained for convenience stores (C-store) and all-other-outlets-combined (AOC) from September 25, 2011, to January 9, 2016. The proportion of price-discounted sales, average nondiscounted unit price, and average discounted unit price were examined by product category and brand. JoinPoint regression was used to assess average monthly percentage change. Results Overall, price-discounted sales accounted for 11.3% of cigarette, 3.4% of large cigar, 4.1% of little cigar, and 3.9% of cigarillo sales. The average difference between nondiscounted and discounted prices was 25.5% (C-store) and 36.7% (AOC) for cigarettes; 11.0% (C-store) and 11.2% (AOC) for large cigars; 19.2% (C-store) and 9.6% (AOC) for little cigars; and 5.3% (C-store) and 14.7% (AOC) for cigarillos. Furthermore, price-discounted sales of top-selling tobacco brands comprised up to 36% of cigarette, 7.4% of large cigar, 7.7% of little cigar, and 4.2% of cigarillo unit sales. Conclusions These findings highlight the use of price discounts by tobacco manufacturers to reduce the cost of cigarettes, large cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos to consumers. These sales patterns underscore the importance of sustained efforts to implement evidence-based strategies to increase prices and reduce availability and consumption of combustible tobacco in the United States. Implications This study highlights the prevalence and provides a baseline of price-discounted cigarettes, large cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos. Surveillance of tobacco sales data, including state-level trends and additional product types, is critical for informing approaches to reduce tobacco consumption. These approaches include countering tobacco product price-discounting practices and raising and maintaining a high sales price for all tobacco products. The implementation of evidence-based population-level interventions, together with local, state, and federal regulation of tobacco products, could prevent tobacco initiation, increase tobacco cessation, and reduce overall tobacco use among US youth and adults.

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The Menthol Marketing Mix: Targeted Promotions For Focus Communities in the United States

Cited by 64 publications

References 17 publications

Menthol: putting the pieces together

Menthol: putting the pieces together

A systematic review of store audit methods for assessing tobacco marketing and products at the point of sale

Sales Trends in Price-Discounted Cigarettes, Large Cigars, Little Cigars, and Cigarillos—United States, 2011–2016

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