Social Norms In Tobacco Advertising
1. Failure to conform to social norms
There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children – Nelson Mandela
Nowhere else we will find such an utter disregard for social norms as in the case of marketing tobacco to children. It is long proven that tobacco consumption has a harmful impact on kids. In spite of numerous settlement suits and laws that have been framed to curtail tobacco marketing to kids, marketers continue to entice and addict kids (16). The consequences are potentially dangerous – estimated 5.6 million premature deaths of American kids alive today will die with tobacco related illnesses (17). Various internal tobacco industry documents, submitted to the courts during the trials, clearly reflect the psychopathic nature of these corporations, who treat childhood as economic construct and children as economic …show more content…
The tobacco industry made all-out effort to circumvent the marketing restrictions imposed on them and spent heavily on in store marketing (21). This instore marketing campaign was effective at reaching kids because 2/3 of teenagers, visit a convenience store or neighbourhood retail outlet at least once a week (22). Tobacco industry used it ingenuity to make smoking even more appealing to kids by introducing flavoured cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (23). At this juncture, it is worth quoting the words of former U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company representative who stated that, “Cherry Skoal is for somebody who likes that taste of candy, if you know what I am saying” (24). Tobacco companies also suggest to the kids that smoking makes them popular, feel attractive, take risks and helps them avoid or manage stress (25).The blatant violation of the norms of the society by the tobacco companies affecting the health of future generations by inducing them to smoke, by itself indicates the psychopathic nature of the tobacco corporations in particular and businesses in
There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children – Nelson Mandela
Nowhere else we will find such an utter disregard for social norms as in the case of marketing tobacco to children. It is long proven that tobacco consumption has a harmful impact on kids. In spite of numerous settlement suits and laws that have been framed to curtail tobacco marketing to kids, marketers continue to entice and addict kids (16). The consequences are potentially dangerous – estimated 5.6 million premature deaths of American kids alive today will die with tobacco related illnesses (17). Various internal tobacco industry documents, submitted to the courts during the trials, clearly reflect the psychopathic nature of these corporations, who treat childhood as economic construct and children as economic …show more content…
The tobacco industry made all-out effort to circumvent the marketing restrictions imposed on them and spent heavily on in store marketing (21). This instore marketing campaign was effective at reaching kids because 2/3 of teenagers, visit a convenience store or neighbourhood retail outlet at least once a week (22). Tobacco industry used it ingenuity to make smoking even more appealing to kids by introducing flavoured cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (23). At this juncture, it is worth quoting the words of former U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company representative who stated that, “Cherry Skoal is for somebody who likes that taste of candy, if you know what I am saying” (24). Tobacco companies also suggest to the kids that smoking makes them popular, feel attractive, take risks and helps them avoid or manage stress (25).The blatant violation of the norms of the society by the tobacco companies affecting the health of future generations by inducing them to smoke, by itself indicates the psychopathic nature of the tobacco corporations in particular and businesses in