Reaching youth at the point of sale: cigarette marketing is more prevalent in stores where adolescents shop frequently

Since the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), concern about tobacco marketing targeting youth has focused on magazines. ^{1- 3} Less is known about the industry's attempt to reach youth at the point of sale. In 2001, US cigarette companies spent $173 million on magazine advertising compared to $9.5 billion on retail marketing. ⁴ These expenditures pay for traditional signs and functional items (such as branded clocks, hand baskets, and counter mats), price reductions for consumers ("Buy two, get one free") and incentives for retailers to display cigarettes in prime locations, especially around the counter. ⁵ A US survey of approximately 3000 stores in 163 school neighbourhoods found some form of tobacco advertising at 84% of stores and at least one branded functional item in 69%. ⁶ The amount of money US tobacco companies spend on retail marketing has more than doubled since the 1998 MSA. ⁴ One effect of this spending has been observed in California's stores, where the average number of cigarette marketing materials increased 31% from 2000 to 2002. ⁷

With a preponderance of tobacco ads and products located near candy and around the counter area, ^{8- 10} it stands to reason that retail tobacco marketing makes a clear impression on young consumers. In a survey of teens from northeast England, all of the 629 15 and 16 year olds reported seeing point-of-purchase marketing for cigarettes. ¹¹ In the USA, adolescents who reported at least weekly exposure to retail tobacco marketing were more likely to have experimented with smoking, ^{12, 13} and teen smokers preferred whichever brand (Camel or Marlboro) was advertised most heavily in the convenience store closest to school. ¹⁴

The problem of widespread ads and promotions for cigarettes is not unique to US stores. ^{15- 18} For example, after countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand banned point-of-sale ads for cigarettes, traditional signs were replaced by "power walls" of cigarette packs in quantities greater than necessary to supply consumers. ¹⁹ Exposure to such displays may distort adolescents' perceptions about the availability, use, and popularity of cigarettes. ²⁰

Whether or not tobacco companies intentionally target adolescents at the point of sale, some studies suggest they may be disproportionately exposed to this form of cigarette marketing. In metropolitan settings such as...