Tobacco Industry Marketing Core

NIH RePORTER · NIH · U54 · $183,811 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY In a rapidly-evolving tobacco retail landscape, it is essential that tobacco control researchers are aware of changes in the marketplace and are able to quickly adapt to these changes. The primary function of the Tobacco Industry Marketing (TIM) Core is to collect and supply this tobacco industry information to members of the TCORS research team by acting as a data repository that supports and informs TCORS activities and research. The TIM Core will systematically and continually monitor advertising campaigns, new product launches, packaging innovations, labeling, and sales trends for all categories of tobacco products, with a particular emphasis on cigarettes and cigars/cigarillos. In addition to supporting the Center's four projects and their research goals, the TIM Core's ongoing surveillance activities will help inform our TCORS' Rapid Response Projects and support the work of early career investigators via our Career Enhancement Core. The marketing surveillance system housed within the TIM Core consists of three primary activities, each constituting a Specific Aim. The first and second aims (surveillance of product marketing and sales) will inform product selection for Specific Aim 3 (archive of packaging). Specifically, we will 1) monitor tobacco industry advertising and marketing activities by identifying new advertisements and marketing materials, tracking changes in campaigns for specific products (e.g., Natural American Spirit) over time, and identifying and monitoring emerging marketing avenues (e.g., Twitter, text messaging), 2) analyze national market scanner sales data to characterize the cigarette and cigar marketplace in the U.S. as well as trends in smokeless tobacco and e-cigarette consumption to create a complete picture of the total tobacco marketing environment and inform future Rapid Response Projects and projects in the Career Enhancement Core, and 3) develop a product archive to capture emergent and evolving packaging features that will be accessible to the entire study team. In sum, the TIM Core will serve as an important resource to inform the study team's research decisions, provide context to their findings, and ensure that the projects' aims are aligned with the dynamic tobacco marketplace. Conversely, discoveries from each of the projects may introduce new questions that can be explored using the marketing and sales surveillance systems. In addition to supporting the activities of the TCORS research projects, the TIM Core itself will generate research findings that are relevant to FDA's regulation of tobacco product manufacturing and marketing.

Key facts

NIH application ID
9999501
Project number
5U54CA229973-03
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Principal Investigator
Jane JANE Lewis
Activity code
U54
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2020
Award amount
$183,811
Award type
5
Project period
2018-09-14 → 2023-08-31