Tobacco Asia

6 tobaccoasia / Issue 4, 2018 September / October From the Associate Editor © 2018 October Multimedia Co Ltd., TOBACCO ASIA is published quinterly (five times a year) by October Multimedia Co Ltd in March, May, July, September, and December. Printing and distribu- tion of TOBACCO ASIA is overseen by October Inter Co. Ltd., Interchange 21 Bldg., Room 3225, 32nd Fl., 399 Sukhumvit Road, North Klong Toey, Wattana, Bangkok, 10110 THAILAND. Tel +66 2 660 3789. Fax +66 2 660 3881. E-mail: info@octobermultimedia.com web: www.tobaccoasia.com. Representation for Tobacco Asia Asia / Middle East / Australasia China / Eastern Europe Italy / Spain / France October Inter Co. Ltd. Interchange 21 Bldg.,Room 3225, 399 Sukhumvit Road 32nd Fl. 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No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission. How the tobacco industry markets its products is a hot button issue that gets pressed again and again by the anti-tobacco industry, public health activists, and organizations. The tobacco industry's marketing strategies are called all sorts of names from "wiley" to "disgusting", as well as some even more colorful epithets that a respectable publica- tion shouldn't be printing. What marketing strategies have the tobacco industry employed that are so much more wicked than others? Without diving too deeply into the basics of marketing, be it the traditional 4 P's (product, price, place, promotion), the new 7 P's (product, price, promotion, place, packaging, positioning, and people), the 5 C's (company, customers, competitors, collaborators, and climate), STP (segmentation, target- ing, and positioning), or any other marketing concept, has what the tobacco industry done been that much different from the marketing done for other products? Here are some examples of the "despicable" marketing the industry's been accused of: - Coming up with new products: Why should markets be deprived of new innovations, such as new generation products like e-cigarettes, vaporizers, and heat-not-burn devices? Isn't adapting to changing consumer preferences and innovating new products pretty much the norm in marketing and business? Should the industry be precluded from developing products incorporating more potentially safer and healthier features? - Entering "new" markets: There's really no such thing as a "new" market for tobacco, but by precluding the ability to expand existing tobacco markets where a particular company is not currently operating, regulationists prevent "outsiders" from entering into any given market. Should such so-called "new markets" only be left to existing local players thereby cementing in market shares with existing and possibly outdated products ? - Packaging: make your packs plain, they said. Put scary pictures on packs, they said. How well has that worked out? Study after study says gory warnings don't work, and plain packaging puts the highest quality products created with millions of dollars of research and produced in world-class food in- dustry factories on the same perceived level as sub-standard products possibly made in a filthy garage. - Marketing directed at children: There is no industry more regulated and overly self-regulated to make sure that children do not see its marketing messages, and that children are not the target of its messaging. Some years ago, even a major tobacco company told this magazine that since the circula- tion was not officially audited by one of the big US firms (as no tobacco industry magazines are), their legal department would not allow them to advertise because – as ludicrous as it sounds – there was no certificate to say that not one of the magazine's paying subscribers had signed up for a subscription indicating that they were a child and were interested in reading this tobacco manufacturing industry trade journal. Why is it not possible that the marketing strategies used by the tobacco industry change as con- sumers and the economic and social landscape change, just like with any other industry? And doesn't it seem like these attackers are greatly underestimating the intelligence of the average consumer? With information available literally at one's fingertips no matter when or where thanks to the Internet and new technology, today's consumers are probably the best-informed in history. Even kids nowadays are a lot more informed than kids were a few decades ago. (Plus, aren't parents supposed to be the ones responsible for teaching and guiding their children anyway?) Isn't it remotely possible that these well-informed people are capable of making well-informed decisions about the products they buy? Are people today so easily swayed by glittery, colorful packaging that they don't care to know what's actu- ally inside? Are they so gullible that seeing some character smoking in a movie will make them think, "Wow, that's so cool! I'm gonna smoke now, too"? If that's really true, then maybe anti-tobacco and public health activists and organizations might need to rethink their own marketing strategies a little bit.

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