Original article
The Effect of Cigarette Branding and Plain Packaging on Female Youth in the United Kingdom

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.06.003Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

Cigarette packaging is the most prominent form of tobacco marketing remaining in countries such as the United Kingdom. The current study examined perceptions of cigarette packaging among female youth and the potential impact of “plain” cigarette packaging regulations.

Methods

A national sample of 947 16- to 19-year-old female subjects in the United Kingdom completed an online survey. Participants were randomized to view 10 cigarette packs designed according to one of four experimental conditions: fully branded female packs, the same packs without descriptor words, the same packs without brand imagery or descriptors (“plain” packs), and branded non-female brands. Participants rated packs on measures of appeal and health risk, positive smoker image, and completed a behavioral pack selection task.

Results

Plain packs were rated as the least appealing and worse tasting compared with all other conditions. Plain packs were also associated with fewer false beliefs about health risks compared with branded packs. Removing brand descriptors from packs significantly reduced measures of appeal and taste, particularly for brands with flavor descriptors, such as cherry and vanilla. Plain packs were significantly less likely to be associated with positive images, such as glamour, sophistication, and slimness. Most importantly, respondents were significantly less likely to accept a pack of cigarettes when offered only plain versus branded packs (p = .026).

Conclusions

Marketing in the form of pack branding remains a potent tool for increasing the appeal of tobacco products to young women. The findings provide empirical support for plain cigarette packaging regulations in Australia to be implemented in 2012.

Section snippets

Participants and recruitment

Participants consisted of 947 young women between the ages of 16 and 19 years, including both smokers and nonsmokers. Participants were recruited from a consumer panel with a reach of more than 300,000 individuals through Global Market Insite, Inc. (Bellevue, WA; http://www.gmi-mr.com/global-panel/). E-mail invitations were sent to parents or guardians, who then gave consent for their child to complete the survey. Invitations did not indicate the nature or purpose of the study. Participants

Sample characteristics

Table 1 shows sample characteristics. Smoking status varied by experimental condition (χ2 = 10.3, p = .016): participants in the no descriptor condition were less likely to report current smoking compared with participants in the standard pack condition (β = −.50, p = .016), the plain condition (β = −.54, p = .006), and the male condition (β = −.59, p = .007). No other significant differences in smoking behavior or sociodemographic variables were observed across conditions.

Appeal ratings

Table 2 shows brand

Discussion

The current study suggests that marketing in the form of pack branding remains a potent tool for increasing the appeal of tobacco products to young women and may serve as inducement to smoke for many. The findings indicate that branded female-oriented cigarette packs were perceived by female youth as significantly more appealing, better tasting, and associated with lower levels of health risk than plain packaging or male-oriented packaging. Branded female packs were also associated with more

Acknowledgments

Funding support was provided by Action on Smoking and Health (the United Kingdom), the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award, a Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute Junior Investigator Award, and a Project Grant from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (P01 CA138-389-01).

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    All individuals who contributed to this work are listed as authors.

    An oral presentation of this work was presented at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Annual Conference; 2011; Toronto, ON, Canada.

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