Big Tobacco's Disturbing Marketing Trends

Feb. 20 - KGO (KGO) -- It's no secret that tobacco is a multi-billion dollar industry, with a massive advertising budget. Coupons and matchbooks are an example of direct mail advertising by tobacco companies -- something that's legal under the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement of 1998. But since it's going directly to peoples' homes, there's little oversight.

Margo Leathers Sidener, President and CEO of Breathe California: "These are the most clever advertisers in the world. They spend $15 billion dollars, and that's 2003 figures, that's the latest that we have, and they spend that on marketing every year."

In 1998, big tobacco agreed to marketing restrictions. For instance, no more using cartoons like Joe Camel, no cigarette billboards or outdoor advertising -- but direct mail marketing, like a package with coupons and matchbooks from Camel is still allowed.

Dr. Stanton Glantz: "It's very, very pernicious, because first of all, it's almost completely out of the public eye so most authorities, most of the public, most people in the media don't even know about it."

Dr. Stanton Glantz is a professor of medicine and renowned anti-tobacco researcher at UCSF. He says tobacco companies are keenly focused on targeting 18 to 25-year-olds.

Dr. Stanton Glantz: "They actually can develop relationship marketing and identify which young people are the leaders, who are the trend setters and target them."

So how do young people end up on these lists? Many attend tobacco-sponsored bar promotions.

Dr. Stanton Glantz: "They scan your drivers license allegedly to confirm you age, but if you show up at one of these tobacco industry bar promotions and show them your drivers license, you're just right in their data base and they can track you for the rest of your life."

Margo Leathers Sidener: "We need people who get these things to call us up and say, 'oh have you seen this?' So that those of us who advocate for such things have something in our hands and can go to people in charge and say look what's happening."

Doctor Glantz would like to see a law that prohibits the scanning of driver's licenses within 500 feet of a bar. He says the technique used by big tobacco borders on identity theft. We tried to contact R.J. Reynolds, but they did not get back to us.

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