Note: World Lung Foundation united with The Union North America. From January 2016, the combined organization is known as “Vital Strategies.”
(New York, USA) – In advance of World No Tobacco Day, World Lung Foundation (WLF) revealed the results of a recent survey into the use of social media by tobacco control advocates. Respondents from more than 91 countries – mostly from low-and-middle income countries targeted by tobacco industry as the next growth market – articulated a landscape of great enthusiasm but without formal approach. More than three-quarters of tobacco control advocates currently use social networking sites but only 18% said their organization offered formal training and only nine percent have a staff person dedicated to online communications.
“The affordability and ease of social media allows tobacco control groups to throw the kitchen sink at the industry to counteract multi-million dollar misinformation campaigns aimed at policymakers and the young,” said Sandra Mullin, Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications. “But social media can only help level the playing field when it is used strategically and methodically – especially given the limited resources of the tobacco control advocates involved. There’s obviously great need to identify the best campaigns and most effective materials instead of having each country reinvent the wheel.”
The survey revealed that advocates recognize the need to develop their organization’s skills in this area, with nearly 80 percent saying that social media training would be useful. The survey also revealed that:
• 85% of respondents said that their organization is likely to use social media in the future
• Social networking sites (Facebook) were the most popular platform (64%) followed by Twitter (40%), video sharing sites (27%) and blog tools (27%)
• Tobacco control advocates primarily use social media to support policy advocacy (64%) and creating online communities (61%)
However,
• Nearly two-thirds said that their organization did not formally measure the effectiveness of their social media communications
• More than three-quarters were concerned about the risk of staff use of social media to the reputation of their organization and the tobacco control movement
Online Tobacco Marketing On The Rise
According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the major U.S. cigarette and smokeless tobacco companies’ alone reported expenditures on advertising on company websites and Internet marketing increased from $125,000 in 1998 to $17.8 million in 2008 (the most recent year for which data is available). Between 2006 and 2008, spending on these two categories doubled from $8.3 million in 2006 to $17.8 million in 2008.
A 2010 study found that British American Tobacco employees were using social networking sites such as Facebook to promote products and brands, particularly in countries where advertising is banned. On Facebook, pages where people can become “fans” have been established for products and are accessible by anyone regardless of age.
Sandra Mullin, Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications, commented: “Since the tobacco industry essentially kills half of its customers, it needs to replenish its user base with younger smokers. Policy typically lags technology so the Internet and social media, in particular, are an easy, cheap way to reach young people and get them interested in addictive, harmful products.
“As such, online advocacy is not an optional extra in tobacco control work; it needs to be an integral part of any tobacco counter-marketing strategy. Now that we have a clearer picture of where the community is, we can tailor tools, resources and training efforts to improve results and reduce reputational risk.”
About the survey
A brief online questionnaire was developed and fielded between March 13 and April 14, 2013. Convenience sampling was used to reach the target audience of tobacco control advocates (defined here as people working in tobacco control organizations/ departments). Email invitations were sent to known individuals or organizations that work in tobacco control through listservs or online community membership groups. The survey was also posted on and promoted via Facebook and LinkedIn pages. In total, there were 592 respondents from 91 countries, representing 401 organizations. Data analysis was performed by Kadence India.