Journal Article

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

McDaniel, Patricia A., Forsyth, Susan R.

2019

Overview

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. 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. 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. 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.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adolescent / Adult / Advertising - methods / Advertising - trends / Archives & records / Backup software / Behavior / Behavioral sciences / Biology and Life Sciences / Brand image / Case reports / Computer & video games / Computer and Information Sciences / Craving - physiology / Engineering and Technology / Exposure / History, 20th Century / History, 21st Century / Humans / Image enhancement / Internet / Marketing / Marketing - methods / Markets / Motion pictures / Nursing schools / Packaging / Packaging design / People and Places / Prevention programs / Product Packaging - methods / Psychological aspects / Public health / Smoking / Social aspects / Social Sciences / Teenagers / Tobacco / Tobacco (Plant) / Tobacco industry / Tobacco Industry - economics / Tobacco Industry - history / Tobacco Industry - methods / Tobacco Industry - trends / Tobacco Products - economics / Tobacco Products - supply & distribution / Video games / Video Games - psychology / Video Games - trends / Websites / Young Adult / Young adults / Youth / Youth smoking