The Cincinnati Enquirer Cigarette kiosks inside many Greater Cincinnati night spots contain only one brand. Small square napkins are emblazoned with a Camel or the Marlboro man. So are the matchbooks and ashtrays. Ask the bartender for some smokes, and there is only one kind available. What may seem like forced brand loyalty is actually an acutely-targeted marketing trend catching on in Greater Cincinnati dance clubs and watering holes.
Bars also offer an environment that is smoker friendly.
Night spots and bars are the new advertising billboards for the big three tobacco makers. Led by Chicago-based KBA Marketing, the Camel Club promotion signs up night spots to sell only Camel products. Whether the night spot is in Covington, Clifton, the East End or on Cincinnati's Main Street, chances are owners have signed up to be Camel merchants, host Marlboro bar nights or sponsor test drives on the Kool racing simulator. The practice is already entrenched in the larger cities of Chicago and New York, where such alliances have existed for as long as five years. In a recent issue of The Village Voice, an alternative weekly in New York City, Marlboro took out full-page ads to promote their cigarettes and happenings at dozens of clubs.