Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will be able to identify trends in print advertising in magazines, weekly entertainment newspapers, and direct mail magazines before and after the MSA.
Abstract: Problem/Objective -- Tobacco brand advertising and bar night promotions have been on the rise for several years in magazines and weekly entertainment newspapers. The objective of our research was to evaluate changes associated with the enactment and enforcement of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) between the tobacco corporations and State Attorneys General.
Methods -- The Tobacco Industry Monitoring Evaluation (TIME) Project has tracked tobacco advertising in 18 national magazines for youth and adult, general and ethnic audiences, as well as in weekly entertainment newspapers, ethnic and general audience newspapers since 1996.
Results -- This report will show print advertising trends over time, by brand and corporation, and provide comparisons of tobacco brand, bar night, anti-tobacco public health messages, tobacco corporate messages and tobacco youth smoking prevention campaigns. Distinctions will be made by type of publication. Current major campaign themes will be presented and discussed. Brand advertising in direct mail magazines produced by the tobacco corporations will also be presented. Higher rates were observed in magazines with high youth readership, despite restrictions in the MSA. Then, in the fall of 2001 there was a sudden decline as legal actions were filed to challenge these rates.
Discussion -- Litigation appears to have been an effective public health intervention in reducing some types of print advertising. However, tobacco advertising through print outlets remains a widespread practice. Some print advertising may be shifting to magazines and other materials sent to smokers and smokeless tobacco users via direct mail.
Back to Monitoring the Tobacco Industry
Back to Evaluation and Surveillance
Back to The 2002 National Conference on Tobacco or Health