Exploiting the “video game craze”: A case study of the tobacco industry’s use of video games as a marketing tool

Abstract

Background Video games have grown in popularity since the 1970s, and tobacco imagery is present in a substantial subset of games, including those oriented to youth. Much like exposure to tobacco content in films, exposure to tobacco content in video games may influence smoking uptake and use; however, the tobacco industry’s role in facilitating or promoting the use of tobacco imagery in video games is unclear. We explored the industry’s interest in and use of video games to market their products to youth and young adults. Methods We retrieved and analyzed archival tobacco industry documents. We supplemented information from the documents with current and archived versions of several brand and corporate websites and one website containing user-supplied information on video games. Results Tobacco companies recognized the youth appeal and marketing potential of video games as early as 1980. Initial marketing ideas included incorporating video game themes into product packaging and design. More fully realized plans focused on incorporating video games into product promotions in bars, as a high visibility way to attract younger patrons and increase long-term marketing opportunities by generating names for tobacco company direct-marketing databases. Tobacco companies also incorporated video games into in-home product promotions, primarily as components of brand websites, in order to enhance brand image and generate repeat website traffic. A similar desire to attract and keep visitors led to discussions about the inclusion of video games on corporate youth smoking prevention websites, although only one company, Lorillard, followed through. Conclusions Video game players are an attractive target market for tobacco companies. Video games, as used by these companies, facilitate consumer engagement with particular tobacco brands or particular corporate messages. Eliminating the use of video games as a promotional vehicle may require limiting tobacco marketing in both physical and online environments.

Improving the Health of Emerging Adult Gamers—A Scoping Review of Influences

“…This growth involves online games becoming a part of marketing strategies for organisations targeting EAs [ 56 ]. Branding inside video games has been shown to increase affinity to a brand [ 59 ] and products that are detrimental to health have become commonplace in online games including tobacco [ 48 , 54 ], energy-dense nutrient-poor foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages [ 44 ]. For health and nutrition intervention, this suggests a potential opportunity through a range of media channels and influences at this level that are already being utilised by other organisations to engage EAs.…”

‘Cease and desist?’ The persistence of Marlboro brand imagery in racing video games

“…PM was notified by an employee about Psygnosis’s Formula One video game, designed for Sony’s Playstation, which had ‘a race car driver wearing a helmet with a Marlboro trademark.’44 It is unknown if PM followed up on this lead or if the employee received a reward. However, during this time, PM used similar racing games in bar night promotions,45 including IndyCar II, a game with red-roof trademarks and Marlboro-sponsored racing teams 46…”

“…Adolescents have no difficulty identifying the tobacco brand associated with such imagery 11. It is possible that PMI continues to sponsor real-life motorsports partly in order to encourage the continued appearance of Marlboro brand imagery in motorsport-themed video games, although no evidence has been found to support that claim 45…”

Using an ecological model of health behaviour to identify factors associated with smoking behaviour among Buddhist novices in Thailand: a cross-sectional digital survey

“…Regarding community-level and policy-level factors, noticing tobacco advertising at the point of sale in the retail shops of the communities surrounding temples and through online social media on various platforms influenced novices’ smoking once to twice more than those who did not experience exposure. Tobacco advertisement is the primary marketing strategy in the tobacco industry, targeting children and adolescents 45–47. Additionally, Thailand has enforced a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising and promotion since 1992 48.…”