What Cigarillo Companies are Putting on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Swisher Sweets’ Marketing from 2013 to 2020

Abstract

Introduction Tobacco marketing includes text and visual content, which conveys important meaning to consumers and influences use. Little is known about the marketing tactics used by a popular brand of cigarillos on social media to promote their products, including their visual design. Methods A content analysis was conducted to analyze text and visuals for all posts on Swisher Sweets’ official Instagram account from Jan 23 2013 –Feb 28 2020. We assessed product depictions (e.g., warnings, smoking cues), presence of FDA-prohibited or potentially misleading claims (e.g., lower risk, organic), marketing tactics (e.g., celebrities, selling propositions), flavors, and demographic representation. Results We coded 1402 posts. Smoking cues (e.g., images of people smoking, product imagery) were in 764 posts (54.5%), and a warning appeared in 690 (49.2%) posts, but obscured in 29.4% of those instances (n=203). No posts included FDA-prohibited claims, but some potentially misleading language was identified, including the use of words or visual depictions of smooth (n=254, 18.1%) and quality/well-made (n=239, 17%). Marketing tactics such as scarcity (n=159, 11.3%), event promotion (n=586, 41.8%), and alcohol depictions (n=171, 12.2%) were common, and flavor names appeared in 598 posts (42.7%). People depicted were often young adults (n=709, 50.6%), Black/African American (n=549, 39.2%), and in groups (n=473, 33.7%). Conclusions Both text and visuals are used to market Swisher Sweets on their Instagram account. Using social images of young adults, especially Black individuals, signals the intended use of the product. These images of visual-based social media may influence appeal, glamorization, and normalization of cigarillo smoking among vulnerable populations. Implications Tobacco marketing, including from popular cigarillo brands like Swisher Sweets, is widely used to influence consumer perceptions and behavior. Social media marketing includes text and visual, both of which increase product appeal and encourage use. Visual-based social media from the industry itself have been understudied, particularly for cigarillos. This study characterizes the ways in which Swisher Sweets uses text and visuals to market their products through their Instagram account, including smoking cues, potentially misleading language, use of celebrity endorsers, and promotion and sponsorship of events.

The Landscape of Cigar Marketing in Print Magazines from 2018–2021: Content, Expenditures, Volume, Placement and Reach

“…Cigar products are marketed through a variety of channels, including magazines, social media, point-of-sale, websites, and musical events, and often feature appealing flavors, human models, music imagery and language, price promotions, and descriptors that highlight certain natural themes and language [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], which may increase product interest [ 18 ]. Another characteristic of cigar advertising is warning labels, which are important for communicating the risks of cigars to consumers [ 19 ].…”

“…In 2000, the seven largest cigar companies in the U.S. entered into an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission conceding to display one warning from a set of approved warning statements on cigar packaging and advertising (e.g., “SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: Cigar smoking can cause lung cancer and heart disease”) [ 20 ]. Numerous studies have examined the presence of warning labels on cigar packaging [ 21 ] and advertising across various channels, including social media [ 15 , 17 , 22 ] and the point-of-sale [ 23 ]. For example, an analysis of cigar brand Swisher Sweet’s Instagram posts found that about 50% of posts displayed a warning label [ 17 ].…”

“…Numerous studies have examined the presence of warning labels on cigar packaging [ 21 ] and advertising across various channels, including social media [ 15 , 17 , 22 ] and the point-of-sale [ 23 ]. For example, an analysis of cigar brand Swisher Sweet’s Instagram posts found that about 50% of posts displayed a warning label [ 17 ]. When FDA extended its regulatory authority to include cigars with the 2016 Deeming Rule, they added additional requirements to cigar warning labels.…”

Circumventing cigarette regulation: Product characteristics of cigarette-like cigarillos on the Dutch market

“…In addition to characterizing flavors, they have lower taxation 6,7 and fewer units per pack, which makes them affordable and appealing to consumers, including young people [8][9][10] . Their appeal to young people is even more concerning given their promotion on social media such as TikTok and Instagram 11,12 .…”