Tobacco P-O-P on the Rise, Study Says

Chicago -- The University of Illinois at Chicago recently released a research study that suggests that tobacco marketers have substantially increased their P-O-P marketing efforts since a ban was placed on billboard advertising as part of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), which took effect on April 24, 1999.The goal of the study was to assess the effect that the MSA ban on billboard tobacco advertising has had on the tobacco industry's point-of-purchase marketing strategies. According to the report, "The observed increase in point-of-purchase marketing in the period following the billboard advertising ban suggests that the tobacco industry may be shifting at least some of the expenditures once spent on billboard advertising to advertising and promotion at the point-of-purchase. To the extent that this is so, the intended effect of the MSA billboard ban may not be fully realized."From Feb. 16 through June 23, 1999, 3,464 tobacco-selling retail stores in 191 communities across the country were observed. "At each store, information was collected on the extent of interior and exterior tobacco advertising, extent of tobacco functional objects, presence of tobacco promotions, and placement of tobacco and low-height advertisements," says the report. The levels of interior, exterior and parking lot P-O-P were measured using a four-point scale, ranging from no P-O-P to P-O-P covering most of the store or storefront. Additionally, information was gathered on the type of store and the number of cash registers at each location (to gauge the store size).Of those stores studied, 1,484 stores (43%) were measured before the April 24 ban took effect and 1,980 stores were scored on or after that date. In all, 78% of stores had some in-store tobacco P-O-P, 58% displayed exterior tobacco P-O-P, while 44% had low-height ads.The study concludes that the intent of the MSA ban -- to reduce youth smoking -- may not be realized since targeted restrictions allow tobacco marketers to shift their ad spending to other marketing mediums, such as P-O-P. The study calls for further research on the impact of the tobacco billboard ban and other restrictions on cigarette marketing.The study was compiled and written by Melanie A. Wakefield and Yvonne M. Terry, Health Research and Policy Centers, University of Illinois at Chicago; Frank J. Chaloupka, Health Research and Policy Centers and Department of Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago; Dianne C. Barker, Barker Bi-Coastal Health Consultants, Calabasas, Calif.; Sandy J. Slater, Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation, Baltimore; and Gary A. Giovino, Cancer Prevention, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, N.Y.

Tobacco P-O-P on the Rise, Study Says

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