The Evolution of Cigarette Marketing in the UK

A Marketer’s Perspective

Marketing cigarettes in the UK has gone from a breezy puff to an uphill struggle, as decades of evolving regulations have reshaped the landscape. In the last 50 years, the tobacco industry has seen dramatic shifts in how it can communicate with consumers, as laws have tightened to curb tobacco usage. If marketing cigarettes was once like a “breath of fresh air,” today, it’s more like holding your breath through a maze of restrictions. Let’s take a deep dive into the key legal changes that have dramatically altered cigarette marketing in the UK.

Note:

This article features content from the Marketing Made Clear podcast. You can listen along to this episode on Spotify:

The Golden Age of Cigarette Marketing (Pre-1970s)

Back in the 1960s and before, cigarettes were marketed like any other consumer product. TV, radio, magazines, billboards—tobacco companies had the full array of advertising channels at their disposal. Brands like Marlboro and Benson & Hedges were household names, not just for their cigarettes but for their iconic and glamorous marketing campaigns. Think of the rugged Marlboro Man or the sophisticated, high-life imagery associated with smoking. Smoking was associated with freedom, style, and even health “More Doctors Smoke Camels,” remember that one from Mad Men?

1971: The First Blow – Television Advertising Ban

The real crackdown began in 1971 with the Television Act, which banned cigarette advertisements on TV in the UK. This law marked a significant turning point. For marketers, it was like losing a vital lung, cutting off access to the most powerful advertising medium of the time.

The 1980s: A Growing Cloud of Restrictions

With the TV ban in place, marketers turned to print, sponsorships, and outdoor advertising. Cigarette companies began sponsoring major events, especially in sports; think Formula 1 racing, where brands like Marlboro and Rothmans became synonymous with fast cars.

However, the writing was on the wall.

In the 1980s, public health campaigns ramped up, and with them came increased pressure on marketing practices. The Health Warnings on Cigarettes (Printing) Regulations were introduced in 1986, requiring cigarette packs to carry bold health warnings. The “smoke and mirrors” approach of glamorous advertising was beginning to lose its shine.

The Great Outdoors? Not So Fast

Towards the end of the 90s’ cigarette advertising was banned on billboards and in cinemas. With the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act looming on the horizon, the outdoor advertising market began to shrink for cigarette brands. Marketers now had to think creatively about how to reach their audience through more indirect means, such as event sponsorships and targeted promotions in stores.

2002-2003: The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act

If cigarette marketing in the UK was on life support by the 1990s, the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act of 2002 was the final puff. The law, fully enforced by 2003, effectively outlawed tobacco advertising across all media, including print, radio, billboards, and sponsorships. The only advertising avenue left was direct mail, but even that was highly regulated.

Cigarette marketers felt like they were boxed into a corner.

Suddenly, one of the largest consumer product industries had virtually no public advertising avenues. Sponsorship deals with sports teams and music events were snuffed out, as were glossy magazine spreads. Creative freedom was going up in smoke.

2008: Smoking Banned Indoors

In a strong move to stamp out habitual smoking in the UK, smoking indoors in public places was banned. No longer did you come home from nightclubs with cigarette burns on your clothes and stinking of smoke.

And when the ban came into place something else quite strange happened in some nightclubs… you could smell the carpet!! That’s right – you could weirdly smell the stale alcohol in the carpets from all the people that had dropped their drinks on it over the years. and the stale smoke smell took a very long time to go away.

I wonder if this move had a great affect on carpet cleaners and fitters?

Economics is a fascinating topic!

2008: Display Bans Begin

In 2008, the government moved to target point-of-sale marketing.

The Public Health (Tobacco) Act banned cigarette advertising at store counters in larger stores, a rule that would later be extended to all stores by 2015. Point-of-sale displays were one of the last strongholds for cigarette marketers, as stores often placed cigarettes prominently near the counter. With that ban, cigarettes were relegated to hidden cabinets.

This was a serious blow, as marketers lost direct visibility to consumers at the very moment they were making purchasing decisions. In response, companies began focusing more on the packaging of the product itself, making cigarette packs as eye-catching as possible.

2012: Plain Packaging – The Final Nail in the Coffin

If marketers thought they could still rely on pack design to create brand recognition, that idea went up in flames with the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 (effective from 2016). Cigarette packs were now required to be a uniform green color, with standardised fonts and the majority of the space reserved for graphic health warnings. This was a hammer blow for brand differentiation, once-powerful logos and iconic designs became virtually invisible.

The transition to plain packaging was the death knell for any remaining marketing creativity in the tobacco industry. No longer could brands rely on the last frontier of packaging design to engage consumers.

Post-2016: What’s Left for Cigarette Marketers?

Today, cigarette marketing in the UK exists only in the shadows, quite literally. Cigarette packs are hidden in closed cabinets, uniform in appearance, and plastered with health warnings. For marketers, the challenges are immense. With no public advertising, no promotional displays, and heavily restricted packaging, there’s little room left for traditional marketing techniques.

So, if you’re a marketer hired by a cigarette company, where does that leave you?

A New Focus: Brand Loyalty and Product Development

The focus has shifted to brand loyalty and customer retention. The primary “marketing” effort is now within the product itself—offering different variants, such as menthol (until its ban in 2020), or new delivery systems like heated tobacco products and vaping devices. The marketing efforts are also channeled into corporate responsibility and aligning with harm-reduction narratives. Tobacco companies are increasingly pivoting to alternative products, which are still subject to lighter regulation than traditional cigarettes.

How can Cigarette Companies Market their Products in the UK in Modern Times?

As of 2024, cigarette companies in the UK face some of the most stringent marketing regulations in the world. Direct marketing of traditional cigarettes is virtually impossible due to comprehensive laws aimed at reducing tobacco consumption and protecting public health. However, there are still some legal strategies and approaches that tobacco companies can use to indirectly promote their products. Let’s break down how cigarette companies can market within the tight constraints of UK law in 2024.

1. Alternative Nicotine Products (Vaping and Heated Tobacco)

• Vaping Products: E-cigarettes and vaping products, which are still not as tightly regulated as traditional cigarettes, offer an avenue for companies to engage with consumers. While health warnings and restrictions apply, companies can advertise e-cigarettes more freely on social media, online platforms, and even in retail spaces. Tobacco giants often diversify into this category with specific marketing strategies that highlight harm reduction and innovation.
• Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs): Products like Philip Morris’s IQOS (which heats tobacco rather than burning it) have more flexibility in terms of advertising. In 2024, cigarette companies can still market these as “reduced harm” alternatives through online campaigns, store displays, and age-restricted websites. This allows them to maintain a presence in the market without directly promoting cigarettes.

2. Age-Restricted Digital and Social Media

• Targeted Online Campaigns: While traditional advertising is prohibited, cigarette companies can still communicate with consumers through age-restricted websites or via direct communications to adult smokers who have opted in to receive product updates. These online platforms allow companies to present information about their products while complying with legal restrictions.
• Influencers for Vaping Products: Though cigarette advertising is banned, vaping products have looser restrictions, and influencers can be used to indirectly promote these products, especially when associated with harm reduction. While this doesn’t apply to cigarettes, it helps maintain brand visibility through alternative product lines.

3. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Public Relations Campaigns

• Tobacco companies in 2024 are increasingly focusing on corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns, positioning themselves as committed to public health by investing in alternatives to smoking. These campaigns are typically centered on the company’s transition towards a “smoke-free future,” with the promotion of reduced-risk products. While these campaigns cannot directly promote cigarettes, they help shape public perceptions and maintain a positive brand presence.
• For example, Philip Morris has been promoting a “smoke-free future” initiative, focusing on encouraging smokers to switch to heated tobacco or vaping products. Such campaigns can still gain media coverage and consumer awareness, indirectly benefiting the company’s overall image.

4. Sponsorship of Non-Tobacco Products

• Event Sponsorship: Although tobacco companies can no longer sponsor sports or entertainment events directly with cigarette brands, they may sponsor events with their alternative product lines, such as vaping products or nicotine pouches. This can keep their brand in the public eye while staying within legal limits. For example, companies may sponsor lifestyle or tech events where harm reduction products are showcased as innovative alternatives to smoking.
• Branding via Vaping Products: Vaping products often carry the same branding as their parent cigarette companies. Sponsoring music festivals or other youth-focused events using vaping brands can still create indirect associations with the larger tobacco company – this is similar to the examples provided of alcohol brands advertising their 0% alcohol options.

5. Product Placement and Packaging Innovation

• Product Differentiation: Even though plain packaging is enforced, brands have explored ways to differentiate their products through the cigarette format itself (such as slimmer cigarettes or unique filter technology). These small innovations can still attract attention within the legal confines.
• Product Placement in International Media: Cigarette companies cannot use product placement in UK-based media, but if their products appear in international films, shows, or media accessible in the UK, it indirectly keeps cigarette imagery in the public’s consciousness. This is more of an indirect form of marketing but can still have an effect.

6. Educational Campaigns and Harm Reduction Messaging

• Educational Content: Cigarette companies in 2024 focus heavily on promoting harm reduction through educational content. Although they cannot advertise cigarettes directly, companies produce content explaining the benefits of switching to less harmful alternatives like vaping or heated tobacco. By doing this, they build trust and position themselves as part of the public health solution, even though they continue to sell cigarettes.
• Public Health Collaboration: Some tobacco companies have begun collaborating with public health organisations to promote awareness about the risks of smoking and the advantages of quitting or switching to reduced-risk products. While this might not directly market cigarettes, it positions the companies more favourably in public discourse.

7. Scientific Research and Product Development

• Research-Based Communication: Tobacco companies can market their reduced-risk products through public announcements of scientific research that supports the development of safer alternatives to smoking. Research papers, white papers, and conferences where these findings are shared can serve as a form of indirect marketing, promoting the company’s commitment to innovation and harm reduction.

8. Minimal Product Communications

• Trade Publications and Professional Outlets: Companies can still advertise tobacco products in trade publications that cater specifically to retailers, wholesalers, and suppliers. These publications allow cigarette companies to communicate promotions, new product lines, and business strategies that indirectly maintain visibility in the market.

Conclusion: From a Marketer’s Perspective

Over the last five decades, cigarette marketing in the UK has faced a series of ever-tightening restrictions. For marketers, it has been a journey of adaptation, each new law taking away more of the traditional marketing tools. If once cigarette advertising was like breathing in the open air, today it feels more like operating in a vacuum.

Yet, the marketing discipline is all about innovation and evolution. Although the traditional avenues for marketing tobacco have been blocked, tobacco companies have adapted by innovating in the fields of product development, with nicotine alternatives, heated tobacco products and vaping, whilst engaging in CSR, spreading health related messaging and engaging in consumer retention or brand loyalty exercises. However, the future is clear, smoke signals won’t be enough. Marketers will need to continue evolving, focusing on new, less harmful products to remain relevant in a world that has turned its back on smoking.

Let’s just say cigarette marketing is no longer a “smoking hot” field—it’s more like a slow burn in a room full of fire alarms!