Albuquerque Businesses Linked to Trend Influence Marketing (TIM) Deception

We recently uncovered a marketing strategy employed by R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris. They call this deceptive ploy Trend Influence Marketing (TIM). TIM abandons standard advertising campaigns and tries to "become the trend-maker." R.J. Reynolds uses TIM to increase the popularity of Camel cigarettes. Philip Morris uses a similar strategy to increase the popularity of Marlboro cigarettes. These companies recruit sexy females and hunk males and covertly attempt to entice unsuspecting youth to use their products.

The most important element of TIM is to conduct the strategy secretly. If companies openly push 'trendy,' the effort will fail. They conduct Trend Influence Marketing, therefore, underground. The marketing company wants their role to remain invisible. They do not want unsuspecting and potential customers to be aware of these selling strategies. They want the activities to be perceived as cool. The stated objective is to make local 'hipsters' believe smoking is their idea and that they started a trend.

These businesses know that smoking is an addictive and proven deadly habit. We do not appreciate their efforts to use spies, moles and recruits from the tobacco industry who secretly and surreptitiously manipulate our friends, family and children in order to make a buck. We demand these businesses have the ethics and courage to openly tell potential consumers of the marketing strategies for their products. The image below comes from Camel/Downtown Distillery and Camel/Launchpad ads (Weekly Alibi, August 19-25,1999).

The purpose of this notification is to alert GENERATION Xers, teens, kids and the general public of this deceptive and manipulative strategy. We are posting the names of the local participating businesses. We urge you to contact the management of these companies and express your dissatisfaction with their malicious and surreptitious tactics.