title: Direct-to-Consumer Marketing of Cigar Products in the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although cigar use and sales have increased in the United States over the past decade, little is known about how these products are promoted. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising is a common method used to promote tobacco products and may be a potential channel through which cigars are advertised.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comperemedia (Mintel) was used to acquire opt-in direct mail and email advertising for the top 10 cigar brands in the United States between January 2013 and July 2014. The advertisement and corresponding data on brand, advertising spend, and mail volume were downloaded and summarized. Promotions such as coupons, giveaways, and sweepstakes were also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 92 unique advertisements met the search criteria and included two brands: Black & Mild (n = 77) and Swisher Sweets (n = 15). Expenditures on direct mail advertising during this period totaled $12 809 630. Black & Mild encompassed 80% of total direct mail volume and 78% of direct mail advertising expenditures. Almost all advertisements contained at least one promotion (88%) and included a URL to the product website (85%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that Black & Mild and Swisher Sweets are the primary cigar brands using DTC advertising. Promotional offers were nearly ubiquitous among the advertisements, which may appeal to price-sensitive populations. Future studies should continue to examine cigar advertising via direct mail and email, in addition to other channels, such as the point-of-sale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although cigar use and sales have increased in the United States over the past decade, there is limited data on cigar advertising. This article provides a snapshot of expenditures, volume, and promotional content of DTC cigar advertising in the United States between January 2013 and July 2014.
authors.affiliation: Evaluation Science and Research, Truth Initiative, Washington, DC; Department of Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health, Washington, DC; oganz@truthinitiative.org.
authors.forename: Ollie
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ganz
authors.affiliation: Evaluation Science and Research, Truth Initiative, Washington, DC; Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC;
authors.forename: Lyubov
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Teplitskaya
authors.affiliation: Evaluation Science and Research, Truth Initiative, Washington, DC; Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD;
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cantrell
authors.affiliation: Evaluation Science and Research, Truth Initiative, Washington, DC; Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD;
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Hair
authors.affiliation: Evaluation Science and Research, Truth Initiative, Washington, DC; NYU Global Institute of Public Health, New York University, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vallone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003132:Commerce; D000067088:Direct-to-Consumer Advertising; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; D005260:Female; D005421:Flavoring Agents; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D040541:Marketing / Q000379:methods*; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000191:economics; D062789:Tobacco Products; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D005421:Flavoring Agents