Tobacco companies advertise flavored cigarettes near schools in Peru

According to a joint investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Peruvian media OjoPúblico[1], manufacturers Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco are advertising flavored cigarettes near schools and at points of sale in Peru.

A recent study published in the journal Tobacco Control[2] detailed how major tobacco manufacturers advertise tobacco products near schools and playgrounds in more than 40 countries worldwide (primarily low- and middle-income). Advertising flavored tobacco products is one of the most widely used strategies to attract young consumers. According to the study, flavored cigarette ads were observed in more than three-quarters of the countries studied (76%)[3].

Flavored products highlighted in many points of sale

The findings were carried out at retail locations in the Peruvian capital, Lima. Advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes promising "un mundo de sabores" (a world of flavors) were found at the entrances of stores located across from schools in Lima, while a brand of energy drink-flavored cigarettes recently launched by British American Tobacco was advertised in a store located less than 100 meters from the gates of another school in the Peruvian capital.

According to the authors, cigarettes are also displayed next to candy, and at children's eye level, in neighborhood stores near Lima schools. In one store located a block from a school, BAT's Lucky Strike cigarettes were displayed on both sides of the checkout counter, including under Peppa Pig candy, a popular children's item.

Partial advertising bans exploited by manufacturers

Although the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control recommends a total ban on tobacco advertising, the promotion of tobacco products near checkouts, known as "point-of-sale marketing," remains legal in many Latin American countries, including Peru.

In this country, it is illegal to advertise tobacco products within 500 meters of a school, but the ban only covers advertisements visible outside. For anti-smoking experts, this type of promotion highlights the inadequacies of current legislation, which is easily circumvented by tobacco companies.

Keywords: Peru, marketing, point-of-sale advertising, flavors, Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, youth

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Matthew Chapman, Big Tobacco firms advertising on schools' doorsteps, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, published May 31, 2022, accessed June 3, 2022

[2] Brown JL, Rosen D, Carmona MG, et al Spinning a global web: tactics used by Big Tobacco to attract children at tobacco points-of-sale Tobacco Control Published Online First: 31 May 2022. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-057095

[3] Tobacco-Free Generation, Tobacco industry targets children near schools and playgrounds, published June 6, 2022