BACKGROUND: To grasp the new characteristics and forms of Chinese tobacco enterprises' Internet marketing content, and offer targeted support for strengthening the supervision and law enforcement of online tobacco advertisements and promotions.
METHODS: Using web crawler technology, we combined computer-automated keyword recognition with manual assessment to capture in real-time tobacco advertisement and promotion details on Chinese information platforms, social media apps, search engines, and vertical tobacco sites from 2021 to 2023. Subsequently, we analyzed their variation trends and traits.
RESULTS: From the perspective of different keyword comparison, from 2021 to 2023, "e - cigarettes" consistently had the highest volume in marketing information, with proportions of 58.26%, 59.15%, and 48.72% respectively. The volume proportion of "Zhonghua cigarettes" decreased from 13.35% in 2021 to 9.00% in 2023, while that of "Marlboro" rose from 3.43% in 2021 to 6.36% in 2023. E - cigarette brands' proportion grew rapidly. In 2023, "RELX" reached 11.24%, exceeding "Zhonghua cigarettes", which had the highest volume among traditional cigarettes.From the perspective of different content comparison, positive information in tobacco control publicity ranked highest for three consecutive years. In 2023, its proportion reached 57.21%. "Smokers' discussions" grew fastest, with an average growth rate of 42.75%.
CONCLUSIONS: In tobacco enterprise Internet marketing, China has made some progress in online monitoring. But there's still much to improve. Notably, supervision of e-cigarette and foreign-brand tobacco marketing info needs strengthening. Also, we must boost positive discussions on the harms of tobacco products and e-cigarettes to prompt society to create a tobacco-control-friendly environment.