A historical review of R.J. Reynolds' strategies for marketing tobacco to Hispanics in the United States

Am J Public Health. 2013 May;103(5):e15-27. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301256. Epub 2013 Mar 14.

Abstract

Hispanics are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, and smoking is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality among this population. We analyzed tobacco industry documents on R. J. Reynolds' marketing strategies toward the Hispanic population using tobacco industry document archives from the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu) between February-July 2011 and April-August 2012. Our analysis revealed that by 1980 the company had developed a sophisticated surveillance system to track the market behavior of Hispanic smokers and understand their psychographics, cultural values, and attitudes. This information was translated into targeted marketing campaigns for the Winston and Camel brands. Marketing targeted toward Hispanics appealed to values and sponsored activities that could be perceived as legitimating. Greater understanding of tobacco industry marketing strategies has substantial relevance for addressing tobacco-related health disparities.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / ethnology
  • Adult
  • Educational Status
  • Female
  • Hispanic or Latino / history
  • Hispanic or Latino / psychology*
  • Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data
  • History, 20th Century
  • History, 21st Century
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Marketing / economics
  • Marketing / history
  • Marketing / methods*
  • Prevalence
  • Smoking / ethnology*
  • Smoking / history
  • Smoking / psychology
  • Social Class
  • Tobacco Industry / economics
  • Tobacco Industry / history
  • Tobacco Industry / methods*
  • United States
  • Young Adult