The Rise of the Tobacco Industry

1
The Rise of the Tobacco Industry

• Tapping Into New Markets
• 1900-1950

2
How It All Started

• In the early 1900s, less than 1 of American
  adults regularly smoked cigarettes.
• By 1950, 50 of American adults were smoking.
• That is HALF the adult population picking up
  smoking in only 50 years!

3
How Did That Happen?

• How did the industry manage to increase its
  consumer base so dramatically in such a short
  period of time?

4
The Tobacco Industry Tapped Into New Markets

• Specifically
• Soldiers
• Women

5
Tobacco Industry and the Military

• American soldiers first received tobacco rations
  (0.4 oz. with 10 cigarette papers) in World War
  I.
• When the War Department approved the rations, "a
  wave of joy swept through the American Army."

6

• In World War I, wounded soldiers were allowed to
  smoke while being operated on.
• An army surgeon described the calming effect of
  cigarettes
• "Wonderful. As soon
• as the lads take their
• first whiff, they seem
• eased and relieved
• of their agony."

7

• The use of cigarettes exploded during World War I
  (1914-1918), where cigarettes were called the
  "soldier's smoke."

8
A Generation Addicted

• Virtually, an entire generation of men returned
  from WWI addicted to tobacco industry products.
• Free cigarettes in their rations committed the
  soldiers to a lifetime of addiction.
• Tobacco companies sent millions of cigarettes to
  the soldiers for free, and when these soldiers
  came home, the companies had a steady stream of
  loyal customers.

9
World War II

• During World War II (1939-1945), cigarette sales
  were at an all time high
• Cigarettes were sold at military stores tax-free
  for usually a nickel a pack, and were distributed
  free in overseas areas.

10
Tobacco Industry and Women

• Prior to the beginning of the 20th century,
  smoking was not a socially acceptable practice
  for men or women.
• Smoking was slowly promoted as a symbol of
  emancipation and equality for women.

11

• Advertising directed specifically to women was
  not acceptable until the late 1920s.
• Prior to that time, social, cultural, and legal
  pressures limited a woman's ability to smoke and,
  as a result, few did.
• In 1923, women consumed only 5 of all cigarettes
  sold.
• By 1929, the number had grown to 12. It jumped
  to 18 by 1933.

12
How Did That Happen?

• Aggressive marketing to women by tobacco
  companies.
• The Industry recognized that they could roughly
  double their consumer-base if women used, and
  became addicted to, their products.

13
Public Relations to the Rescue

• The relationship between tobacco companies and
  Public Relations firms goes back to the early
  20th Century.
• The tobacco companies started using PR's
  psychological marketing skills to first 'hook'
  women to their drug.

14
The Pioneer Edward Bernays

• Edward Bernays, a leading PR specialist in the
  1920s, staged a legendary publicity event that is
  still taught as an example in PR schools.
• He hired beautiful fashion models to march in New
  York's prominent Easter parade, each waving a lit
  cigarette and wearing a banner proclaiming it a
  "torch of liberty."
• Bernays made sure that publicity photos of his
  smoking models appeared world-wide.

15
Timely Tactics

• The companies appealed to the idea of freedom and
  liberation at a time when women were fighting for
  equal rights.
• Female celebrities were used to endorse cigarette
  brands, and appeared in movies, smoking, in an
  effort to normalize and glamorize the use of
  cigarettes by women

16
Regrets

• To his credit, an older Bernays expressed regret
  at his work, saying that if he had known of the
  dangers of tobacco, he would have refused the
  account.

17
The Result

• During the first half of the 20th Century,
  soldiers and women were heavily targeted by
  tobacco companies.
• Marketing efforts by the tobacco industry
  succeeded in addicting HALF the adult population
  of the U.S. by 1950.
• Smoking cigarettes became socially acceptable for
  both men and women.