Research shows tobacco industry is using digital media

According to a new study, tobacco advertisers are circumnavigating advertising bans by utilising social networking and digital media to promote their products. According to the New Zealand study, tobacco industries are using sites such as YouTube to advertise products indirectly, through pro-tobacco videos and messages.

The study calls for government agencies to begin regulating the content online to prevent this surge in indirect advertising. Despite the study’s findings, tobacco companies are denying that they are using the web to advertise. The study stated: “Tobacco companies stand to benefit greatly from the marketing potential of Web 2.0, without themselves being at significant risk of being implicated in violating any laws or advertising codes.”

A researcher from anti-smoking group ASH has commented: “The findings of the study are disturbing but fairly typical of tobacco industry activity. As soon as one avenue of promotion is closed, companies will seek out alternative means of promoting their product and will do anything to get round advertising restrictions. It indicates that their key audience is young people. There is a need for much stronger control over what appears on the internet.”

Tobacco companies have denied all claims, saying that it was against their policy to utilise social networking sites to promote tobacco brands, as it would breach advertising laws and international marketing standards.

Tobacco advertising has been banned since 2002. YouTube has stated that it does not accept any advertising from tobacco producers online, globally.

The study analysed twenty pages of content on YouTube with tobacco brand names referenced. They found at least twenty clips which appeared to have been produced to promote the brands.

One of the study’s authors commented: “We can see no functional difference between exposure to tobacco in movies outside the internet, and exposure to video and film material on the internet. Generally, the more tobacco is normalised, the more kids will take it up.”

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