What Strategies Do Tobacco Companies Use To Increase Sales?
Regardless of the regulation, tobacco companies have found creative ways to promote their product. These strategies include social media influencers, coupons, and images of smoking in movies. In addition, they can avoid the prohibition on sponsorship of events by hosting adult-only lounges. To counteract these regulations, tobacco companies have mixed point-of-sale marketing and experiential marketing by creating “pop-up” retail spaces. While free samples of cigarettes are no longer legal, a list of tobacco companies in UAE can still use glamor and imagery to promote their products.
Marketing tactics:
The tobacco industry has long used a combination of product design and marketing efforts to increase sales. As a result, there is relatively little price competition. However, there are some examples of repositioning. Tobacco companies gave away free cigarettes at bars before the 2009 ban, and branded generics were launched. In addition to these tactics, tobacco companies have infiltrated social events to make smoking seem more normal. Here are a few examples.
Coupons:
Tobacco companies spend a great deal of money on price-discounting strategies to increase their sales. They carefully target their price promotions, which range from point-of-sale coupons to direct mail coupons and multipack offers. These strategies target price-sensitive consumers who may have changed their habits due to increased competition or brand changes. While coupons may seem ineffective, these strategies contribute to smoking rate reductions and health inequities.
Images of smoking in movies:
Tobacco companies have long abused the popularity of popular movies to spread their brand and products. While the ban on tobacco advertisements has curbed the appearance of smoking in movies, images of smokers remained widespread. In addition, tobacco advertisements featuring famous actors helped shape popular culture. Images of smoking in movies date back to the earliest days of cinema.
Social media influencers:
Tobacco companies have become very effective at influencing young people to smoke cigarettes by paying them to advertise their brands. These “influencers” are quasi-celebrities with large followings who promote a certain product or brand. Some of these influencers are even young models who are paid by tobacco companies to post images of themselves smoking cigarettes. These influencers often receive training on which brands to promote, when to post their content, and how to take “natural” photos.
