Consumer Targeting
The tobacco industry utilizes a huge array of methods in
order to target & market their cigarettes and tobacco products to children, students,
young adults, adults, the elderly, women, minorities and to a diversity of
“occupations” among people.
Regional and “local-specific” marketing techniques
such as S.P.O.T (Special Promotion Opportunity Tactics) marketing tricks and ploys are
utilized to target vacationers, Resorts and to even exploit local celebrations and
occurrences such as a specific local Golf Tournament, for example.
By
the use of “attached-to-product coupons,” “mailings,” “mass media
cut-out coupons,” “in-store buy-downs,” “contracted buy-downs,”
“A.C.T. (Accelerated Coverage Teams) Activity,” “product inducements”
and many other means; consumers from the schoolyard to Truck Stops are lured into
“impulse” and “point-of-purchase” acquisition of cigarettes and
tobacco products.
Media
outlets from tabloids to men’s and women’s magazines of all ethnicity’s
distribute these coupons and advertisements in visual exposures to child and adult that
add up to the tens of millions each and every day of the week…year in and year out.
This
section will grow over time, but if you read the materials provided thusfar, you will see
references to the A.C.T. Teams doing work to exploit the Hispanic Community.
Look
further and you will see how the tobacco companies attempt to exploit and manipulate even
Truck Drivers into additional purchases of cigarettes.
As
this section continues to grow, remember what you are learning here so you will know what
to think when the tobacco companies try to continue to deny “targeting” all of
the above-referenced folks.
