Observatory 2026-2031 of marketing strategies for tobacco products and electronic cigarettes in Switzerland
Background: Advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products and e-cigarettes (hereinafter referred to as tobacco products) encourage young people to start using them, reinforce existing behaviors, and discourage current users from quitting. Several international studies have documented the marketing strategies used by the tobacco and e-cigarette industries to promote their products, particularly through digital channels such as social media. Marketing strategies for tobacco products remain abundant in Switzerland and are evolving rapidly. A 2013–2014 study in French-speaking Switzerland explored these practices, primarily in physical spaces, but no large-scale study has been conducted since.
Objective: To create a national observatory on marketing strategies for tobacco products in digital and physical spaces in Switzerland between 2026 and 2031.
Research questions:
- To what extent and through which channels are tobacco product advertising, promotion, and sponsorship present in Switzerland?
- Have the marketing strategies currently used in Switzerland changed since the 2013–2014 Observatoire romand study?
- What are the effects of the new Federal Act on Tobacco Products (LPTab; fall 2024) coming into force, followed by its revision through the “Children Free of Tobacco” popular initiative, on the advertising and promotion of these products?
Methods and tools:
- Continuous monitoring - quantitative and qualitative - over 4 years of advertisements and promotions on the internet and social media (YouScan), as well as in the press (MediaFocus);
- Ad hoc monitoring of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products in physical spaces (retail outlets, vending machines and food service establishments, festivals) and tracking of the digital activity of 40 young people to quantify their exposure through this channel.
Significance of the project:
- A national, up-to-date, evidence-based assessment of marketing strategies for tobacco products in Switzerland and of how children and young people are exposed to and perceive them;
- Assessment of the effects of the LPTab, followed by the “Children Free of Tobacco” popular initiative, on the promotion of tobacco products in Switzerland;
- Identification of regulatory gaps to be addressed and collection of data to support advocacy for structural measures to prevent tobacco use.
Development of a general conceptual framework to generate data on the commercial determinants of health using innovative mixed-methods approaches (e.g., observational data collection and target audience assessment) that can be applied to other modifiable risk factors for noncommunicable diseases.