Cigarette marketing with the view of societal marketing and marketing ethics

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the marketing of cigarette from the view of societal marketing and marketing ethics. This study is held threefold as the three parties engaged in societal marketing. One side is the consumer, the other side is the cigarette firms and the last one is the society and the government. In the literature part of the study, three parties ( in Turkey and in the world) engaged in societal marketing triangle covered. Turkey is the 32nd leading country in the consumption of cigarettes. However, unfortunately, Turkey is the leading country in the world in the increase rate of cigarette consumption by 4.5% annually. According to the researches of SSV, 30 million people smoke cigarettes and 6 million of them are under the age of 18. In the global cigarette market, the cigarette firms that have greatest market shares are American-based cigarette companies. After 1964, the Surgeon General's report on the health hazards of smoking, the domestic sales of cigarette declined in U.S.A. The American-based cigarette firms entered foreign markets: Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union. Turkish cigarette market was the one of the markets that foreign cigarette companies entered in 1991. Until 1983, there was a monopoly of Tekel in Turkey. After 1991, Tekel's market share declined to 70% from 100%. There are three cigarette firms in Turkey: Tekel, R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris. Many governments in world, have some laws restricting or prohibiting cigarette smoking and cigarette marketing. An effective national tobacco policy has to involve some forms of legislative actions' whether in the form of adopting or adjusting laws, regulation or government decrees. They have legislation on the price of cigarettes, on promotion of cigarettes, on minors' access to cigarettes, on environmental tobacco smoke, on health warnings placed on cigarette packages. Effective health promotion and health education programmes by social organizations are part of a comprehensive tobacco control policy. The social organizations try to create a social awareness about the harms of smoking and to initiate a non-smoking behavior by social marketing. There are many social organizations in the world. However, World Health Organizations (WHO) is the only worldwide effective organization about health issues. In Turkey, there are two social organizations against smoking: Yesilay and Sigaryla Savasanlar Vakfi. Three researches were conducted in this study. First one is the semi-structured research conducted with cigarette firms; 2 out of 3. Second one is a semi-structured research conducted with social organizations; 2 out of 2. The last one is a questionnaire applied to 251 smoking or non-smoking individuals. Based on research findings of cigarette firms, they claim that they imply societal marketing in their marketing policies. The base of this claim is that they search for less hazardous products in order to reach long-run consumer welfare. However, in this present form of the cigarettes, smoking damages health and they continue to sell and promote these unsafe products. Both social organizations against smoking and cigarette companies find Turkish code 4207 unclear and deficient. In many countries, the bans or restrictions on the promotion of cigarettes is defined clearly without leaving any confusion. Social organizations against smoking are in need of support by government. They are trying to inform and teach society about the negative effects of smoking. They need financial and support. Although the mentioned social organizations serve for the same goal, they do not cooperate with each other. Based on the research findings applied to consumers, consumers are not familiar with societal marketing and marketing ethics. Only a little more than half of the group think that cigarette marketing conflicts with long-term social welfare, this result is opposed to the expectations. The most effective reason for many people to start smoking is to imitate peers and the people in the close environment. People having smoking close friends and smoking brothers/ sisters are more likely to be smokers. Smoking pattern and gender have a significant relation. Men are most likely to be hard smokers, while women are more likely to be very light or light smokers. Consumers and non-smokers do not find existing laws enough and they also think that existing laws are not enforced properly. Especially the law prohibiting the sales of cigarettes to children under the age of 18 is not enforced properly. As the education level increases, they are more likely to believe that cigarette advertising effect non-smokers to be smokers. Non-smokers and ex-smokers are more likely to believe that indirect advertising of cigarettes should be banned than smokers. Our society does not seem to be aware of the detrimental effects of passive smoking. Non-smokers are more likely to be conscious about the effects of passive smoking than smokers.