Drug Dealers Explain Their Marketing Strategies
Whether you indulge in them or not, illegal drugs have always been big business. A report from the White House estimates that Americans spent around $1 trillion on illicit drugs between 2000 and 2010. And like any major industry, those who want to make the most money have to refine their marketing.
Cartels might not be clambering for TV spots or coming up with jingles, but there is a real art to marketing your product. From branded baggies of heroin and cocaine tofinding new markets for clientele, successful drug dealers have to become advertising experts to make it.
Recently, a photo surfaced on Reddit showing Rio cocaine dealers have been stamping the Olympic rings logo on their baggies for sale. Sure, you'll always have your buyers on a mission and regular addicts, but throwaway little schemes like this might very well make or break an impulse purchase.
We asked drug dealers what similar marketing gimmicks they've pulled to drum up sales.
We used to put together these "survival kits" for music festivals. They included cocaine, a condom, a chopping card with "how to party" instructions printed on it, a straw, a pen cap (for bumps), floss, extra baggies (for splitting their own stuff up), breath mints, ear plugs, and Xanax (for special people only). This was all inside a plastic baseball card deck case. Funny thing was, these wound up going out to far more DJs performing than actual festival-goers. — John, Miami