Reaching consumers: How the tobacco industry uses email marketing
View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Tobacco companies frequently use email marketing, sending up to nine emails monthly. Emails primarily promote contests, website content, and coupons, with menthol products often paired with coupon offers.
Area Of Science
- Public Health
- Tobacco Control
- Marketing Research
Background
- Traditional tobacco marketing is restricted, leading companies to utilize direct marketing channels.
- Direct marketing, including email, is an under-researched area with an unknown impact on consumer behavior.
- Understanding tobacco industry direct marketing is crucial for effective tobacco control strategies.
Purpose Of The Study
- To analyze the frequency and content of tobacco company email marketing in Minnesota.
- To identify the primary purposes and products promoted in tobacco company emails.
- To investigate the association between menthol product promotion and coupon offers in email marketing.
Main Methods
- Analysis of 6990 tobacco company emails received by Minnesota residents (January 2010 - May 2015).
- Content analysis of a subset of 1646 emails (October 2014 - May 2015) to determine communication purpose and product type.
- Statistical analysis to determine email frequency by brand and associations between product type and promotions.
Main Results
- Tobacco companies send emails frequently, up to nine times per month.
- Emails commonly promote contests (54.1%), website content (39.1%), and coupons (15.7%).
- Menthol-flavored tobacco product emails were significantly associated with coupon promotions (1.9 times higher prevalence).
Conclusions
- Email marketing is a regular and significant direct marketing channel for tobacco companies.
- The findings highlight the need for further research into tobacco email marketing tactics.
- Understanding these marketing strategies is essential for developing targeted tobacco control interventions.