Tobacco companies now spend the vast majority of their advertising and promotional dollars at the point of sale, vying for customer hearts and minds. This “War in the Store” was triggered in 1993 when Philip Morris heavily discounted its Marlboro brand, and other tobacco companies followed suit to compete.
While the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998 (an agreement between the major tobacco companies and 46 state attorney generals) curtailed some tobacco company advertising. For instance, by getting rid of Joe Camel and other cartoon characters and banning product ads on billboards and magazines, it left the store environment
