Smoking & College
Targeting the Young Adult Population (18-24 Year Olds)
The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement was a lawsuit brought against 4 major tobacco companies by the attorney generals of 46 states. One outcome of the settlement required tobacco companies to cease any marketing geared toward youth.
Tobacco companies were forced to go back to the drawing board to strategize how make up for the deficit in the youth target population. By law, tobacco companies are barred from marketing to youth. However, the young adult population is fair game. The legal age to consume tobacco is 18 years old. Tobacco companies went to work to build an aggressive marketing plan to target young adults. Tobacco companies have recognized there is money in appealing to young adults.
Reasons Why Young Adults are an Effective Target Group
- Youngest legal constiuent to hook into tobacco
- Highly influenced by peers, popular media
(Tobacco companies invest millions on ads placed in popular media mediums)
- Developmentally interested in experimentation, risk taking
- Peception of immunity to negative consequences of tobacco use
("It won't happen to me!")
- Many have expendable income
- May be in a period of transition or newly independent (college)
RJ Reynolds executive in 1984: “Younger adult smokers are the only source of replacement smokers... If younger adults turn away from smoking, the industry must decline, just as a population which does not give birth will eventually dwindle.”
Examples of How the Tobacco Industry Targets Young Adults
- Event sponsorship (Greek events, Concerts, Rodeos)
- Free tobacco samples at college events
- Free tobacco offers and coupons in mailers
- Free promotional items at college events (hats, keychains, bottle openers)
- Creation of flavored/menthol cigarettes
For examples of Tobacco Industry Marketing: Trinkets & Trash, Artifacts of the Tobacco Epidemic
California Young Adult Smoking Prevalence
- Smoking prevalence has decreased for the second year in a row to 18% in 2005
- Young adults continue to have the highest smoking prevalence compared to any other age group
- Young adult males are more likely to smoke than young adult females (this is consistent in all age groups)
For more data on Young Adult Smoking Prevalence: California Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section, 2006
Additional Young Adult Resource: Tobacco Free U
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