World No Tobacco Day: Tobacco industry targets young people – illustrations

Since 1987, WHO has established World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 2020. This year, the chosen theme is: “Preventing the use of tobacco and nicotine among young people and protecting them from manipulation by tobacco manufacturers.”In response to the tobacco industry’s aggressive media campaigns, particularly on social media, WHO is proposing a counter-campaign this year on World No Tobacco Day. Its aim is to inform young people so that they can in turn become actors in the fight against tobacco use. Tobacco companies aim to normalize tobacco use and promote their addictive products to younger generations so that they can continue to make money. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=3H-aqaRQqeY&feature=emb_logo[/embed] Strategies implemented to target young people include:

1. Philip Morris partnered with a postal service in Ukraine to offer home delivery of HEETS, the tobacco cigarettes used in its heated tobacco product. But in a social experiment, a 16-year-old girl discovered she could order the cigarettes through the partner company’s app and have them delivered to her home without requiring age verification. This omission gives underage consumers easy access to tobacco without even leaving their homes.
2. British American Tobacco says it has a policy prohibiting the use of models or influencers under the age of 25 in its ads. However, the tobacco company broke its own rule, according to a report published in August 2019. It was caught paying two Instagram influencers, aged 21 and 24, to promote its heated tobacco product, glo, on social media.
3. Philip Morris has announced the launch of new packaging for its Marlboro cigarettes using limited-edition music-themed packaging in Israel. The ads featured the slogan “What’s your sound?” while the exclusive limited-edition packaging was designed to resemble a loudspeaker.
4. British American Tobacco uses hashtags unrelated to tobacco, nicotine or e-cigarettes in social media posts, including for its vype e-cigarette. To insert itself into social media discussions, the company has used hashtags related to youth-oriented pop culture events, including #Oscars2019, #bestactor and #londonfashionweek.
5. Even as Philip Morris invests heavily in public relations campaigns to convince consumers that it wants a smoke-free world, the tobacco company has launched a new brand of high-tar, high-nicotine cigarettes in Indonesia. To promote the new brand, Philip Morris Bold, the manufacturer launched its "You Decide" advertising campaign, using themes of independence and spontaneity aimed specifically at young people.

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