As I understand it initially all British opium was imported to Canton by the EIC who would simply sell to local merchants at port and not get actively involved in disseminating the product any further, but their monopoly was eventually broken and a plethora of firms began importing and marketing opium in China. What structure did this trade take? Did firms actively compete and build "brands" as we might recognise in the modern context? Were there any Chinese companies (as in large firms not just lone merchant dealers and small groups) involved in the trade and if so how influential were they? I'd be especially interested in any information about the marketing of opium products, did marketing exist in a way we may recognise now? Did firms actively market to get people addicted? What forms did these advertisements take and can we speak to their success? Thanks in advance for any replies
There's a lot of historical information at cinarc.org. While their section on opium concentrates more on its history in North America, a lot of brands of opium were imported from Canton, giving some examples of their trademarks. It also does discuss opium advertising in America, which was quite modest in comparison to say, alcohol advertising today:
http://www.cinarc.org/Opium.html
http://www.cinarc.org/Opium-2.html
If you want more information on opium in China, look for The Social Life of Opium in China, by Zheng Yangwen, which includes such examples as an opium den advertising itself by having a giant opium pipe in the window customers could use for a novel smoke.