Tobacco industry marketing to low socioeconomic status women in the U.S.A

Abstract

Objectives: Describe tobacco companies' marketing strategies targeting low socioeconomic status (SES) females in the U.S.A.

Methods: Analysis of previously secret tobacco industry documents.

Results: Tobacco companies focused marketing on low SES women starting in the late 1970s, including military wives, low-income inner-city minority women, 'discount-susceptible' older female smokers and less-educated young white women. Strategies included distributing discount coupons with food stamps to reach the very poor, discount offers at point-of-sale and via direct mail to keep cigarette prices low, developing new brands for low SES females and promoting luxury images to low SES African-American women. More recently, companies integrated promotional strategies targeting low-income women into marketing plans for established brands.

Conclusions: Tobacco companies used numerous marketing strategies to reach low SES females in the U.S.A. for at least four decades. Strategies to counteract marketing to low SES women could include (1) counteracting price discounts and direct mail coupons that reduce the price of tobacco products, (2) instituting restrictions on point-of-sale advertising and retail display and (3) creating counteradvertising that builds resistance to psychosocial targeting of low SES women. To achieve health equity, tobacco control efforts are needed to counteract the influence of tobacco industry marketing to low-income women.

Keywords: Advertising and Promotion; Priority/special populations; Socioeconomic status; Tobacco industry; Tobacco industry documents.

Figure 1

Decision Center’s Basic Segmentation of the adult female market for RJR in 1980 outlines subsegments of the female market.[38] Career women were described as “content or angry or searching/insecure,” the “job-holder” was “resentful of having to work,” young mothers could be “angry/frustrated/constrained…overwhelmed/unfulfilled,” and older housewives felt “trapped” and potentially “frustrated/angry”.

Figure 2

RJR’s Dakota brand targeted “young, poorly educated white women”.[56-57] The “Prime Prospect” was “unpretentiously stylishish (sic),” wearing “leather, denim, silver jewelry, minimal make-up” and “boots or sports shoes.” She listened to Classic Rock - “Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Genesis” - and her activities included “outdoors, informal gatherings, local bars, shopping malls, pool/bowling”.[60] Image available courtesy of Trinkets and Trash, www.trinketsandtrash.org

Figure 3

PM’s “Mission Exploration Project” explored diversified business solutions, including prepaid debit-like cards in 2000. A subsequent “Co-creation Team” at PM proposed the Pioneer Card, targeted at the “unbanked” who were mainly female, city residents, of below-average education, disproportionately Hispanic or African American, and likely to have incomes below $25,000/year”.[70] This population was in need of “one-stop, end to end, all-encompassing financial service solutions that allow them dignity, privacy, and helps them escape the poverty trap.”[70]