An UNDO Project
Last Updated: 9/23/2024
An African American/Black teen girl playing jump ropeA young African American/Black teen girl sitting on a stool in a dark room holding a cigarette

How you see you

How Big Tobacco sees you

We don’t smoke the sh*t. We just sell it. We reserve that right for the young, the poor, the black and the stupid.

— R.J. Reynolds executive

Based on July 25, 1989 Congressional testimony of the former “Winston Man” for Winston Cigarettes
How Big Tobacco sees you
For decades, the tobacco industry has aggressively targeted California’s diverse communities with predatory practices.
An African American/Black man sitting down in a light background
An African American/Black man sitting on a chair watching cigarette ads
An African American/Black man sitting down in a light background
An African American/Black man sitting down in a light background
How you see you
How Big Tobacco sees you

African American/Black

There are up to ten times more tobacco ads in African American/Black neighborhoods than in others.

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An American Indian woman in a yellow dress standing in a bright room
An American Indian woman dressed in traditional clothing standing in a dark room with American Indian accessories on display
An American Indian woman in a yellow dress standing in a light background
An American Indian woman dressed in traditional clothing standing in a dark room with American Indian accessories on display
How you see you
How Big Tobacco sees you

American Indian

The tobacco industry appropriates American Indian cultures in marketing, using valued traditions to promote tobacco use.

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A Hispanic/Latino man in a suit standing in a light background
A Hispanic/Latino man in a dark room made into a puppeteer
A Hispanic/Latino man in a suit standing in a light background
A Hispanic/Latino man in a dark room made into a puppeteer
How you see you
How Big Tobacco sees you

Hispanic/Latino

Big Tobacco gave $75,000 to the Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce to mail 92,000 letters urging businesses to protest tobacco tax increases.

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An Asian/Pacific Islander man playing with soccer ball
An Asian/Pacific Islander man with clones of him standing next to each other in a dark background
An Asian/Pacific Islander man playing with soccer ball
An Asian/Pacific Islander man with clones of him standing next to each other in a dark background
How you see you
How Big Tobacco sees you

Asian/Pacific Islander

A Tobacco executive stated that Asian American populations would be a profitable target due to “this community being generally predisposed toward smoking.”

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A man sitting on a stool in a light background
A man sitting on a stool in a dark space next to a conveyor belt dropping off cigarette cartridges
A man sitting on a stool in a light background
A man sitting on a stool in a dark space next to a conveyor belt dropping off cigarette cartridges
How you see you
How Big Tobacco sees you

Low-income

Big Tobacco targeted children living in low-income housing projects by handing out free packs of cigarettes in the 1950s.

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A non-binary person looking away in a light background
A non-binary person in a dark jail cell room
A non-binary person looking away in a light background
A non-binary person in a dark jail cell room
How you see you
How Big Tobacco sees you

LGBTQ+

In 1995, a tobacco company created a targeted marketing plan for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) communities called “Project SCUM.”

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A woman in a skirt standing and smiling with a light background
Woman sitting in the dark with IV bag filled with smoke
A woman in a skirt standing and smiling with a light background
Woman sitting in the dark with IV bag filled with smoke
How you see you
How Big Tobacco sees you

People with Mental Health Challenges

Big Tobacco promoted cigarettes as a medicinal substance in behavioral health treatment facilities.

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Man in plaid shirt standing with a light background behind him
Man in dark background with smoke around face
Man in plaid shirt standing with a light background behind him
Man in dark background with smoke around face
How you see you
How Big Tobacco sees you

Rural communities

Big Tobacco warps rural masculine ideals by depicting rugged images of cowboys, hunters, and racecar drivers in their advertising, making people living in rural communities some of Big Tobacco’s best customers.

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