BACKGROUND: Tobacco companies have been using social media to market their products, including beedi cigarettes. These companies use various online marketing tactics to attract new consumers and retain existing ones. This is concerning as it promotes the beedi industry, imposing risks both to beedi rollers and end users. While limited research has been done regarding the online marketing of beedis, this study explores its various dimensions of social media platforms to understand the prevailing situation.
METHODS: Publicly available data was collected through an AI-based digital media monitoring tool. Data, consisting of images and texts, was curated data from various social and digital media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, online newspapers, and YouTube. Using Boolean keywords and “scraping” tools, the platform identified relevant posts and tobacco marketing accounts. The search was set up using generic keywords like: “beedi” OR “#beedi” OR “bidi” OR “#bidi” OR “bidis” OR “#bidis” OR “biri” OR “#biri” OR “बीडी” OR “#बीडी” combined with brand names. A systematic human check was also conducted to remove junk and refine data quality. Data was coded and analyzed manually using platform and MS Excel. Posts were identified in English and Hindi for a data collection period from Dec. 16, 2020, to Aug. 15, 2021.
RESULTS: We found that beedis are openly marketed on social media with clear product pictures versus other tobacco products, which are promoted inconspicuously to avoid being caught in existing laws. There were at least 30 distinct Facebook pages for beedi companies, accounting for the highest platform used for beedi marketing (98%).
CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring and reporting are suggested regularly to support restrictions on tobacco marketing. Beedi product marketing must be carefully monitored both online and offline. Consumers need to be educated, and clear laws should be defined for online marketing of such tobacco products.