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In early 2004, widespread media attention focused on Brown & Williamson's "Kool Mixx" campaign for the menthol brand Kool. The campaign was designed to promote Kool cigarettes through an association with hip-hop music and culture, and led to public outcry over the sale and distribution of limited-edition graphic cigarette packs featuring cartoon-like images. That spring, at the urging of community activists and tobacco control advocates such as the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN), the Attorneys General of New York, Maine, Illinois and Maryland, acting on behalf of 35 other states and jurisdictions, wrote to Brown & Williamson (B&W), asking them to terminate the "Kool Mixx" promotion, pointing out the campaign's appeal to youth and several violations of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). 1 In June 2004 the New York Supreme Court issued a restraining order prohibiting much of the campaign, leading to a recall of "Kool Mixx" promotional cigarette packs. 2
Hip-hop began as an African-American and Puerto-Rican youth culture consisting of graffiti art, breakdancing, and rap music. 3 Hip-hop is the most popular music genre among youth age 12-24 years, and it is more popular among these youth than among older age groups. 4 Music plays a large role in both teen and young adult lifestyle and identity formation. 5 Although the Kool Mixx campaign was stopped based on its youth appeal, the Kool brand has a long history of using music in its marketing, particularly as a means to access African-American cultural identities. An historical analysis of the Kool music campaigns may identify objectives that were established over the brand's history, and that may re-emerge in future music promotions.
While music sponsorship by different cigarette brands has been documented in the literature and press, 6- 9 Kool was one of the first brands to pursue concert sponsorship with the Kool Jazz Festival in 1975, and sustain music promotions over the years. The Kool brand also provides a timely and interesting perspective on both music marketing and the targeting of African-American smokers. Prior studies of Kool's advertising focused on the social factors driving the growth of the African-American menthol market, 10, 11 and Kool's international promotions. 12 To gain a more thorough understanding of the motivations for the 2004 Kool Mixx...