Cigarette Advertising, History of

Cigarette marketers have appealed to young people with many obvious practices, such as the use of youthful models, ads in media the audience of which is [Page 176]exclusively or predominantly young, copy and art known to be attractive and interpretable to children (cartoons), and placement of ads in familiar contexts (such as cigarette ads in video games and candy cigarettes). However, advertising appeals to young people are not always so obvious. On the basis of careful research, advertisers have targeted youth with appeals designed to match their psychological needs and aspirations. For example, images of independence appeal to youth's need for independence. Similarly, advertising and promotion often pair cigarettes with things of great interest to the young, such as automobiles, other motor sports, popular music, and movies. Heavy media buying, coupled with in-store and on-street signage, can make a product attractive simply by virtue of being so well recognized that it becomes familiar and trusted. Ads to the young are not intended to be informative by voluntarily disclosing the risks of addiction or the many diseases and disabilities, such as impotence, to which smoking can lead. Indeed, because of the identity needs of adolescents, this age group may be particularly responsive to ads connoting style and symbolic product personality attributes, so ads make these appeals and do not offer any negative information about the product.

The young are a vital target market for the cigarette industry. Most smokers start as adolescents, and the addictive nature of nicotine leads to phenomenally high rates of brand loyalty among smokers. Cigarette companies need to replace smokers who quit, so getting replacement starters is important to them. Moreover, the deadly consequences of smoking create a chronic and substantial need to replace smokers who die. This combination of factors leads naturally to a strategic interest in replacement starters, as brands able to attract starters will enjoy the profitability of their brand loyalties for many years, sometimes for a lifetime. It is not surprising, therefore, that cigarette advertising has long been suspected of intentionally appealing to the young.

Industry documents now coming to light in courtroom trials show that firms have researched children as young as 11, 12 and 13 years, with target audiences starting at age 15. Images of independence and freedom from authority were used to capitalize upon the psychological needs of young starters. Crafting and pretesting ensured that the ad images were not too immature, lest the brand be rejected by teens seeking symbols of adulthood, and the activities not too aerobic, lest this be laughably unbelievable. Some ads stressed peer group acceptance, belonging, and security.