Hispanic children more influenced by tobacco direct marketing
Direct marketing for tobacco, or advertisements appealing to people through targeted mailing, Internet, or in-store efforts, are not only reaching children in the United States,…
Tobacco direct marketing is reaching a number of children, particularly Hispanics. (Shutterstock)
Direct marketing for tobacco, or advertisements appealing to people through targeted mailing, Internet, or in-store efforts, are not only reaching children in the United States, they are reaching Hispanic children disproportionately.
According to a new report from Dartmouth researchers, direct marketing has been linked to an increased risk for tobacco product use, and what’s more, approximately 1 in 10 teenagers are exposed to direct tobacco marketing, despite current standards that ban such products from being advertised on television.
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“For several years, the emphasis in the tobacco industry has been on direct marketing, especially to young people who are highly price sensitive and who may find coupons, samples, and promotions appealing,” said lead author Samir Soneji, PhD, as reported by Newsroom America. “We found that both direct mail [coupons] and exposure to tobacco websites were associated with increased chances of smoking initiation and current smoking.”
Hispanic children are not only the most targeted by tobacco direct marketing, they experience some of the highest numbers of tobacco use throughout adolescents. According to a report from the National Latino Tobacco Control Network, Hispanic teens have tobacco use rates comparable to non-Hispanic whites, sometimes surpassing non-Hispanics whites depending on the age group evaluated.
Camel cigarettes controversial “Joe Camel” ad campaign in the 90?s caused an uproar because of its use of cartoons to market their product. (http://www.bambootrading.com)
Female Hispanic teens are also far more likely than their non-Hispanic white counterparts to smoke cigarettes throughout high school, and the younger the age group, the more likely a Hispanic teen is to start using tobacco product.
Experts indicate there are two huge influencing factors that make Hispanic children an ideal target for tobacco direct marketing. The first is that Hispanics i the United States are considered a young population; the average Hispanic tobacco user is 27 years old, compared to 41 years old for non-Hispanic whites.
Tobacco companies know the sooner they appeal to an individual, the more years they will have that person as a customer.
Another huge influence when it comes to direct marketing is the lack of regulation in certain areas predominantly Hispanic; Youth along the U.S./Mexico border are a population that is at higher risk for being exposed to broadcast tobacco product advertisements, which are unrestricted in Mexico.
This coupled with the problem that many Hispanics along the border have little access to health care makes them even more vulnerable to tobacco use and less likely to receive smoking cessation intervention.
Though Hispanics are the most likely to be targeted by tobacco direct marketing, overall, 12 percent of 15- to-17-year olds and 26 percent of 18- to-23-year olds were exposed to some form of direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing.
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Direct marketing most commonly consists of coupons and ads sent through the mail or posted on the web, as well as in-store displays and signs. The idea is that, because younger individuals tend to be more price-conscientious, coupons offering discounts are the most logical way to encourage them to purchase tobacco products.
In 2010, the tobacco industry spent $236 million in cigarette coupons and $22 million in Internet marketing, focusing on areas where youth spent the majority of their time, like social media networks.
