United States: Tobacco manufacturers are not abandoning cigarette marketing

A report published in the journal Tobacco Control examines the marketing expenditures made by manufacturers to support the sale of tobacco products. Despite their public rhetoric of transitioning to a smoke-free world, manufacturers have increased their marketing spending per pack of cigarettes since 2010. This data suggests that the tobacco industry is less focused on transitioning its business model than on diversifying its activities and maximizing profits from nicotine addiction.

The report compiled data on marketing expenditures for tobacco products by manufacturers in the United States over the period 2010-2022. The study's authors then compared the evolution of these expenditures with that of e-cigarette consumption among American adults.[1].

Marketing spending per pack of cigarettes is increasing

Between 2010 and 2022, manufacturers' marketing expenditures on cigarettes remained broadly stable in the United States. Meanwhile, cigarette sales volumes declined by nearly 39% over the same period. Thus, manufacturers' marketing expenditures increased from $0.77 per pack of cigarettes in 2010 to $0.93 in 2022. These results demonstrate that marketing expenditures per pack increased by 21% in 12 years, even as the tobacco industry regularly claims to be committed to a smoke-free world and to be initiating a transition to other products, such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches.

The most disadvantaged populations are at the heart of this strategy

These marketing efforts for tobacco products consist primarily of coupons for consumers, as well as direct rebates to distributors. According to the report, these promotional strategies often target low-income populations, who are more sensitive to price changes, especially given that the average price of a pack of cigarettes increased by 25% between 2010 and 2022. Furthermore, a recent study indicates that low-priced cigarettes have been the only market segment growing in the United States since 2016.[2], while the most disadvantaged people have seen their smoking prevalence decline more slowly than the rest of the US population.

E-cigarette consumption is increasing

Meanwhile, US public health data highlights an increase in e-cigarette use: between 2014 and 2022, the prevalence of e-cigarette use among adults rose from 3.7 per 100,000 to 6 per 100,000. As the authors of this report point out, the increase in e-cigarette use is primarily driven by young adults (18-24 years old), whose prevalence rose from 5.1 to 15.4 per 100,000 over the same period. Thus, the authors conclude that the tobacco companies' strategy essentially aims to multiply the entry points to nicotine addiction in order to maintain levels of dependence, and therefore profitability.

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[1] Levy DT, Travis N, Cummings M, Marketing expenditures and industry transformation: are cigarette companies really shifting away from cigarettes? Tobacco Control Published Online First: 23 February 2026. doi: 10.1136/tc-2025-059586

[2] Preventive Medicine Reports, Declining cigarette sales and shifts in the US cigarette marketplace from 2016 to 2024: Analysis of market scanner sales data in US convenience stores, 07/01/2026, (accessed 10/03/2026)

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