Exposing Big Tobacco’s Global Campaign to Addict the Next Generation
A complete guide to conducting an investigation of the tactics tobacco companies use to target kids at shops, kiosks, and other points of sale in your country.
What is Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets?
Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets is a method for collecting data on tactics the tobacco industry uses to advertise and promote their products at points of sale* (POS) near schools, and reporting the results. Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets campaigns expose efforts by the world’s largest multinational tobacco companies to market tobacco and nicotine products to kids.
Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets campaigns are a powerful tool for:
- Advancing efforts to pass and implement bans on Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS) and other policy goals, by providing an extremely powerful narrative that will compel policymakers to act.
- Engaging tobacco control advocates and youth advocates directly in a campaign to report compelling evidence of tobacco advertising and sales near schools and playgrounds. Advocates use their cell phones to collect data at points of sale.
Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets surveys have directly contributed to successful tobacco control policy outcomes in at least 16 countries.
*Points of sale (POS) refer to stores, kiosks and other places where tobacco products and other consumer goods are sold.
DOWNLOAD: Introduction to Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets (PDF presentation)
Why Collect Data?
The survey is an advocacy tool. Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets campaigns help advocates urge governments to protect their most vulnerable citizens against predatory tactics by adopting or enforcing comprehensive bans on all tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, in accordance with the WHO FCTC and its Article 13 Implementation Guidelines.
“No one was ready to admit that the tobacco industry was actively targeting children through various sales and advertisement tactics... The findings have been so clear that they can be verified by anyone with ease.”
— Member of Pakistan investigation team
In almost 40 Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets surveys so far, investigators have found four tobacco industry tactics that are common at points of sale near schools or playgrounds. These tactics are used to purposefully target youth:
- Tactic 1: Displaying cigarettes near sweets, snacks and sugary drinks
- Tactic 2: Displaying cigarettes and advertisements at children’s eye level
- Tactic 3: Selling flavored cigarettes
- Tactic 4: Selling single cigarettes
After the data is collected, advocates describe the findings in reports and use them in public campaigns and efforts to pass comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
A Template for Success
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has created a comprehensive project guide that includes everything you need to undertake a Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets survey. The project guide walks you through each step of the project, from setting goals and defining your project scope to launching your report and communicating your findings. It also includes all the templates and resources you need - including standard survey and data analysis templates, as well as training content for your data collection team.
Contact our team at tinytargets@tobaccofreekids.org to get the project package with resources to start your own project.
- Preliminary Discussions
- Define Project Scope & Budget
- Develop Work Plan
- Define Policy Objectives
- Draft Communications Plan
- Build Partner Coalition
- Outreach and Build Relationships with Policy-Makers
- Design Survey Questions
- Build & Customize Survey
- Translate Form Labels (if needed)
- Test
- Plan Data Collection
- Recruit Data Collector Volunteers
- Train Data Collectors
- Collect Data
- Review Data
- Create Summary Tables & Charts
- Analyze Data
- Select Key Findings to Highlight
- Create Report Outline
- Draft Report Text
- Design Report
- Draft Secondary Communications Materials
- Plan Report Launch Event(s)
- Outreach to Media
- Launch Report
Questions? Ready to get started? Contact our team at tinytargets@tobaccofreekids.org to ask questions or get the project package with a guide and resources to start your own project.