State Variation in Retail Promotions and Advertising for Marlboro Cigare

Context: There is some evidence that tobacco companies marketing efforts undermine the effects of tobacco control programs. Objective: To determine whether point-of-purchase advertising and promotions are more pervasive in states where comprehensive tobacco control programs are underway. Design: Cross sectional survey, with merged records of the existence of local tobacco advertising restrictions. Participants: 581 tobacco retail stores. Setting: Mainland USA. Main outcome measures: existence of gift-with-purchase, number of interior advertisements, and interior store advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes. Results: After controlling for store type and existence of advertising restrictions, offer of a gift-with-purchase for Marlboro cigarettes was significantly more common (2.75 times more likely) in states with tobacco control programs than those without programs. There was a non-significant trend for the number of interior and exterior store advertisements to be higher for stores located in states with a tobacco control program than those in other states. 4 Conclusion: Point-of-purchase tobacco promotions and advertising are more pervasive in states with tobacco control programs. These efforts are likely to act against the objectives of programs and need to be accounted for in program evaluations.