Philip Morris Companies, the tobacco giant behind Marlboro, owned Lunchables for 23 years and used cigarette research strategies to shape the brand.
- Internal documents show Philip Morris shared scientists, technology, and product development methods across its tobacco, food, and alcohol divisions, with Lunchables serving as a model example of that strategy.
- Lunchables was engineered to appeal to kids’ desire for autonomy and to ease mothers’ guilt, using the same consumer psychology approach Philip Morris developed for cigarettes.
- Researchers say tobacco-style regulations, including warning labels, taxes, and restrictions on child-focused marketing, may be worth applying to ultraprocessed foods like Lunchables.
Yes! Or wait, do you mean like in consumable media, TV shows, movies, etc? Then yes, I have noticed more smoking, and definitely vaping if the setting is contemporary. I always thought smoking was a no-no on network TV but maybe primetime gets a pass.
Do you also mean advertising influenced by “classic” cigarette ads? Then also yes, in a way. I see a lot of similarities in attitude and tonal delivery with other ads, quite often overtly sexual.
Tid bit dystopian tbh
Not only that but on social media feeds. Like algos pushing ‘cigarette/smoking’ memes. My youtube feed always has a couple cigarette themed videos like, trying every brand of cigarette in China or some bullshit like that, or on instagram it’ll just be random smoking related shorts or some random fashion trend or meme that is associated with smoking in some shape or form. My feeds are definitely special considering my interests and the chambers I interact with but still, this does not feel ‘organic’ at all to me.