Third, tobacco companies use their email marketing databases to cross promote other products and causes. For example, Altria sends action and advocacy alerts under the umbrella of their Citizens for Tobacco Rights (CTR) group to those who've registered to receive marketing materials. Emails from CTR frequently encourage action against local tobacco control measures with subject lines like “Rally at the Capitol to fight the MN tobacco tax hike!”
Finally, promotion of menthol-flavored products was associated with a higher prevalence of coupon promotion. This is troubling as we know menthol cigarettes are disproportionately smoked by African Americans, women, and individuals of lower socioeconomic status (Caraballo and Asman, 2011). Coupon promotion to these groups likely makes purchase of tobacco more accessible and could further worsen health disparities.
This study has limitations. Emails were coded by a single coder. However, variables were typically clear and easy to identify, and coding was straightforward. Also, the 85 registrations were not randomly selected but were selected for brand market share and surveillance.
Despite these limitations, results provide useful information about a form of tobacco marketing that is largely invisible, poorly understood, and identified as an area needing additional research (Cruz, 2009). Further, results provide a fuller picture of how this type of marketing fits into the broader context of tobacco promotion. For example, promotion of coupons through email marketing is another facet of tobacco companies' intense focus on promotions that reduce tobacco prices (Federal Trade Commission, 2016a and Federal Trade Commission, 2016b). Understanding the full picture of how tobacco companies reach consumers is essential to developing counter marketing and prevention efforts.