rss
Tob Control 2009;18:459-465 doi:10.1136/tc.2009.029454
  • Research paper

Flavoured cigarettes, sensation seeking and adolescents’ perceptions of cigarette brands

  1. K C Manning1,
  2. K J Kelly2,
  3. M L Comello3
  1. 1
    Department of Marketing, College of Business, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
  2. 2
    Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
  3. 3
    Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Kenneth C Manning, Department of Marketing, College of Business, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; ken.manning{at}colostate.edu
  • Received 1 January 2009
  • Accepted 10 August 2009
  • Published Online First 20 August 2009

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the interactive effects of cigarette package flavour descriptors and sensation seeking on adolescents’ brand perceptions.

Methods: High school students (n = 253) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions and sequentially exposed to cigarette package illustrations for three different brands. In the flavour descriptor condition, the packages included a description of the cigarettes as “cherry”, while in the traditional descriptor condition the cigarette brands were described with common phrases found on tobacco packages such as “domestic blend.” Following exposure to each package participants’ hedonic beliefs, brand attitudes and trial intentions were assessed. Sensation seeking was also measured, and participants were categorised as lower or higher sensation seekers.

Results: Across hedonic belief, brand attitude and trial intention measures, there were interactions between package descriptor condition and sensation seeking. These interactions revealed that among high (but not low) sensation seekers, exposure to cigarette packages including sweet flavour descriptors led to more favourable brand impressions than did exposure to packages with traditional descriptors.

Conclusions: Among high sensation seeking youths, the appeal of cigarette brands is enhanced through the use of flavours and associated descriptions on product packaging.

Footnotes

  • Funding This research was funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (No 55499).

  • Competing interests None.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF
  4. All versions of this article:
    1. tc.2009.029454v1
    2. 18/6/459 most recent

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content


Free trial
Individuals may register for a free 60 day online trial to all content.

Free archive
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.