Also sometimes referred to as consumer activism, is a political movement or a set of policies aimed at regulating the products, services, methods, and standards of manufacturers, sellers, and advertisers in the interests of the buyer. It seeks to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices such as “honest packaging” and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards.
Published in Chapter:
Regulatory Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa and Marketing Malpractices of “Big” Tobacco
Nnamdi O. Madichie (Centre for Research and Enterprise, UK) and Promise A. Opute (Independent Researcher, Germany)
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 23
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-7906-9.ch005
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the implications of the marketing activities undertaken by tobacco companies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and especially as it pertains to vulnerable groups such as children. Using illustrative cases of two SSA countries—notably Malawi and Nigeria—with disparate economic sizes but nonetheless critical for the discussion in question. Consequently, the chapter posits that the marketing practices of tobacco giants (i.e., Big Tobacco), exploiting the weak regulatory environment in SSA, is worthy of scholarly and policy attention. The chapter focuses primarily on the promotion element of the traditional marketing-mix (which also includes the production and its packaging and branding attributes, pricing strategies, and distribution/place elements) as well as the public policy implications of these four Ps. It also touches upon some of the institutional elements that handicaps governments from undertaking necessary corrective measures/action such as in the case of Malawi where tobacco accounts for a substantial part of the GDP.