Undercover Marketing: A Peek Inside Big Tobacco Sampling

Audience:

Tobacco Control Coalition coordinators, tobacco control advocates, health educators, youth activists, law enforcement, policymakers and public health employees will benefit from this presentation.

Key Points:

Marketing techniques used by the tobacco industry are constantly evolving to keep up with the industry's ever-changing products.  Because of growing restrictions on selling, advertising and marketing, sampling events are becoming a more important part of the tobacco industry's overall marketing strategy. Social interaction and entertainment inside sampling events give the perception that smokeless, spitless and dissolvable tobacco products are less harmful and can give potential new users a direct and positive experience with the products. If the tobacco industry continues with these marketing tactics, sampling events may become more elaborate and prevalent because of their popularity and potential effectiveness. The presenters will show how the tobacco industry promotes new products based on personal observation, participation, and interaction with sampling events throughout Wisconsin.

Educational Experience:

The audience will watch undercover videos and view pictures from inside sampling events held throughout Wisconsin. The presenters will share their experiences from inside the events and how tobacco industry marketing strategies are delivered. Audience members will know what marketing tactics to look for at sampling events, what restrictions apply to advertising and will be able to educate state and local leaders about what occurs at sampling events in order to change state or local policy.

Benefits:

For  tobacco control advocates to fully understand a sampling event, they need to experience it. This presentation hopes to provide that experience.