R.J. Reynolds - Camel No. 9 did ads target children and teens..

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March 15, 2010 - The 1998 settlement agreement between big tobacco and state governments restricted advertising to children and teens, nearly half of teenage girls participating in this study could name their favorite cigarette ad. What's more, the study found that teenagers who could name a favorite cigarette ad were 50 percent more likely to have smoked during the five-year study period.

PAPER: Camel No. 9 Cigarette-Marketing Campaign Targeted Young Teenage Girls
John P. Pierce, PhD, Karen Messer, PhD, Lisa E. James, BA, Martha M. White, MS, Sheila Kealey, MPH, Donna M. Vallone, PhD, MPH, Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH Pediatrics published online March 15, 2010, ABSTRACT..

The study includes data from the fifth telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of teenagers that was designed to assess whether cigarette ads run after the tobacco settlement had any effect on adolescents. The first survey was done in 2003 when the 1,036 children were 10 to 13 years old. The fifth survey was done in 2008. The researchers found that, for boys, the proportion who had a favorite cigarette ad remained stable throughout the five surveys. For girls, however, there was a marked difference in the last study.

During the first four surveys, the number of girls who could identify a favorite tobacco ad remained about the same. But, during the last survey, which was conducted after the start of the Camel No. 9 campaign, the proportion of girls who had a favorite ad jumped by 10 percentage points, to 44 percent. The Camel brand was responsible for most of that increase, according to the study. During the first four surveys, 10 percent to 13 percent of the girls said that Camel was their favorite ad. In the fifth survey, the number rose to 21.5 percent, the study reported.

the researchers wrote: "This article presents credible evidence that the Camel No. 9 cigarette advertising campaign has targeted underaged girls."

Targeted advertising, Pierce (one of the authors) said, can be very hard for parents to counter. "Parents can try to focus on the issue and pay attention to it, but sometimes the adult admonishing something can be a green light for a teenager," he said. "Unfortunately, we don't have easy prevention strategies for parents to use."

R.J. Reynolds, which makes Camel No. 9, said that the product and the advertisements were not designed to attract teenagers. "Camel No. 9 was developed in response to female adult smokers, both of Camel and competitive brands, who were asking for a product that better reflected their taste preferences and style," according to a prepared statement issued by the tobacco company.

"When Camel No. 9 was launched in 2007, all magazine advertisements for it appeared in publications whose readership was at least 85 percent age 18 or older," the statement continued. "More importantly, R.J. Reynolds has not run any print advertising for cigarettes, including Camel No. 9, for more than two years, and there has been no in-store advertising for Camel No. 9 since 2008."

Reference: Teen Girls Say Pink Camel in Cigarette Ads Caught Their Eye Study finds link between catchy ads and whether teens smoke, by Serena Gordon, Health Day Reporter, 3/15/2010.

News briefs - Camel No. 9 related:
Glamour Magazine Continues to Accept Cigarette Ads, also Vogue Magazine..;
Reynolds American rejected the anti-tobacco organization (American Legacy Foundation) claim..;
April 2007 issue of Glamour had a 2-page Camel No. 9 ad on a thicker single page (front and back) in the center of the magazine..;
Camel ads target girls..;
Five U.S. senators asked the Federal Trade Commission on Friday (5/4/2007) to investigate what they say are R.J Reynolds Tobacco Co.’s attempts to app;
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco's Camel brand is sponsoring a three-night smoking spa inside a SoHo bar, where women can ‘kick back';

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