• by November 1, 2000

By Anya Khait

Simmons announced yesterday the titles of 18 magazines measured in its Spring 2000 Teen Study that meet tobacco advertising guidelines set into motion by a major tobacco advertiser.

The guidelines suggest tobacco advertisers refrain from advertising in magazines where teen composition is greater than 15%, or magazines with more than 2 million readership.

Titles measured in the teen study that are eligible to accept advertising include: US Magazine, Star, Soap Opera Digest, Shape, Self, Popular Mechanics, Outdoor Life, National Geographic, The National Enquirer, Muscle & Fitness, Men's Fitness, Jet, GQ, Glamour, Fitness, Ebony, Essence, and Cosmopolitan.

"Tobacco advertising is an important issue to the tobacco industry, consumers and magazines," said Chris Wilson, President of Simmons. "Both media companies and tobacco advertisers have been searching for an accurate measure of teen readership composition for magazines read by both teens and adults. Up until this point in time, none existed," he said.

But tobacco companies are still targeting kids. Simmons research also confirms that most major tobacco companies are continuing to advertise in magazines with high youth readership in possible violation of the 1998 legal settlement between the states and the tobacco companies.

This Master Settlement Agreement prohibits the tobacco companies from “taking any action, directly or indirectly, to target youth... in the advertising, promotion or marketing of tobacco products.”

The survey found that 22 of 40 major magazines surveyed have at least 15% youth readership (12-17 years old) or greater than two million total youth readers, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

These 22 magazines included Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, Sporting News, Hot Rod, Field & Stream, Entertainment Weekly, Car Craft, Mademoiselle, Motor Trend, and People, all of which have carried tobacco product advertising in recent issues.

Tobacco companies that have advertised recently in these magazines include Brown & Williamson, RJ Reynolds, and Lorillard. Philip Morris announced in June that it was suspending tobacco product advertising in magazines with at least 15% or greater than two million youth readers.

Philip Morris acted after the state attorneys general initiated an investigation into a possible violation of the state settlement and after a Massachusetts Department of Public Health study showed that tobacco advertising in magazines with high youth readership had increased by 33% since the settlement.

The new Simmons survey addresses tobacco company criticisms of its methodology in earlier surveys by, for example, surveying adults and youth at the same time. Matthew Myers, President of the CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS, called on the tobacco companies to immediately stop advertising in magazines with high youth readership and for the state attorneys general to intensify their investigation if the tobacco companies do