In the modern era, it is universally agreed upon that tobacco isn’t good for you. However, whether you love it or hate it, the tobacco industry is undeniably a very successful industry across the globe (1.1 billion people worldwide use some form of tobacco). In spite this, tobacco ads have been mostly banned on most major platforms such as TV, radio, and billboards. So how do tobacco companies manage to make such large profits? One could obviously argue that tobacco is addictive, and hence people will obviously keep coming back for more, but with a generally negative public reception today, how do they get people to start smoking? The answer to this question is simple: through subtle, and often deceptive, marketing tactics.
While the days of seeing cartoon characters such as Joe Camel or manly caricatures such as the Marlboro Man may be over, other, more subtle tactics are employed by the tobacco industry today. The most obvious example of this is with flavorings, which often are reminiscent of candy or other products that younger people tend to enjoy. While this practice was banned for cigarettes in 2009, flavored cigars, vapes, and other products still exist. Additionally, false health claims and advertisements, which featured “low health risk” tobacco products (but which have been proven to be just as unhealthy) are often pushed onto consumers. In fact, a federal judge actually brought some major tobacco companies up on racketeering charges in part for lying to customers about these claims.
In my personal opinion, every American citizen should be able able to make up their own mind about whether or not they want to smoke, but sales tactics like this do not allow people to make accurate judgements. Manipulative sales strategies such as the ones employed by much of the tobacco industry are not only wrong, but defeat the entire point of sales, which is to give customers accurate information which can help them to make a purchasing decision. In cases such as this, clarity is blurred and a manipulative information asymmetry is pushed onto the customer. Without honesty and clarity, sales comes across as deceptive and slimy, which never leaves a good taste in anyone’s mouth. It is important, especially as ethical sellers to be up front and honest, not only for the benefit of the customer, but for the benefit of the seller as well.
Credits:
https://www.pmi.com/tobacco-economics
https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/tobacco-industry-marketing/what-do-tobacco-advertising-restrictions-look-today
https://www.lung.org/research/sotc/by-the-numbers/10-bad-things-to-entice-kids
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RyanWalton2003