Studies show that almost 90 percent of smokers first tried cigarettes before age 18. This is also the time that brand loyalties are formed. A document that was made public during the tobacco trials sums up the reliance tobacco companies have on youth smokers: "Today's teenager is tomorrow's potential regular customer, and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while in their teens...it is during the teenage years that the initial brand choice is made."

The companies now claim to no longer target an underage market. Instead they have moved their focus to college aged youth. Tobacc

Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign of the 1980s was an incredible success that greatly aided in curbing teen drug use. That slogan is still a catchphrase today. The anti-smoking campaign needs national attention and support in the same way. It is proven that the key to tobacco's success has been through marketing. The same thing that put big tobacco on top can bring them down. With a top-notch marketing strategy of its own, the anti-smoking campaign can achieve that success and beat big tobacco.

From store displays, to magazine ads, to camel cash and stuffed animal giveaways, cigarette makers will stop at nothing to hook smokers while they are young. The current initiatives and agreements amount to little more than another public relations campaign to improve company images and try to prevent any new government efforts to ban tobacco use.

Many people want to take further legislative and legal action to prevent underage smoking. Several lawsuits are now pending dealing with this very issue. We can ban this or agree to that and compromise on something else, but cigarette companies and their incredibly talen

Some common words found in the essay are:
Beating Tobacco, Nancy Reagan's, Heath Department, youth market, tobacco companies, cigarette companies, youth smokers, anti-smoking campaign, underage smoking, beat tobacco, marketing tobacco, store displays, continue target,
Approximate Word count = 758
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)