RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 PMI’s IQOS and cigarette ads in Israeli media: a content analysis across regulatory periods and target population subgroups
JF Tobacco Control
JO Tob Control
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e54
OP e61
DO 10.1136/tc-2022-057671
VO 33
IS e1
A1 Khayat, Amal
A1 Berg, Carla J
A1 Levine, Hagai
A1 Rodnay, Maya
A1 Abroms, Lorien
A1 Romm, Katelyn F
A1 Duan, Zongshuan
A1 Bar-Zeev, Yael
YR 2024
UL http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/33/e1/e54.abstract
AB Background IQOS, manufactured by Philip Morris International (PMI), is the highest selling heated tobacco product globally. IQOS went through several regulatory changes in Israel: from no oversight to minimal tobacco legislation, to progressive legislation that included a partial advertisement ban (exempting print media) and plain packaging. We examined how PMI’s advertising messages changed during these regulatory periods for both IQOS and cigarettes.Methods Content analysis of PMI’s IQOS and cigarette ads was performed using a predefined framework. Ad characteristics included regulatory period, target population, setting, product presentation, age and use restrictions, retail accessibility, additional detail cues (eg, QR code) and promotions. Ad themes included product features, legislation-related elements, social norms and comparative claims. Comparisons between IQOS and cigarette ads, and across regulatory periods, were examined using χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test.Results The dataset included 125 IQOS ads and 71 cigarette ads. IQOS ads featured more age restrictions, retail accessibility and additional detail cues, compared with cigarette ads (93.6% vs 16.9%; 56.0% vs 0.0%; and 95.2% vs 33.8%, p<0.001 for all). Cigarette ads featured mostly price promotions (52.1% vs 10.1% of IQOS ads, p<0.001). The main ad themes were technology for IQOS (85.6%) and quality for cigarettes (50.7%). In later (vs earlier) restrictive regulatory periods, IQOS ads featured more direct comparisons to cigarettes, QR codes and indoor settings, and did not feature product packaging.Conclusions IQOS advertisement content shifted as more restrictions went into effect, with several elements used to circumvent legislation. Findings from this study point to the necessity of a complete advertisement ban and ongoing marketing surveillance.Data are available upon reasonable request.