Table 1

Definitions of study codebook by ‘healthy’ or ‘good for me’ appeals category and associated pack feature codes

Appeal category*Appeal category definitionPack featurePack feature definition
China symbolism and traditional medicationImagery and text related to traditional medicines or cultural symbols in China.Rare animalsImagery or text associated with an expensive or rare animal in Chinese culture (eg, golden monkey, crane, panda).
HerbsImagery or text associated with natural herbs (eg, ginseng, cordyceps sinensis).
Fresh elementsImagery, colour, ingredients that are natural or found in nature.BotanicsImagery associated with non-tobacco leaf plants (eg, flowers, vanes, leaves, bamboo, mint leaf).
Clean coloursBackground colours on the cigarette pack that are either white or pale light blue alone or in combination with one other very pale colour that is plain (ie, not saturated and bright).
Natural coloursBackground colours on the cigarette pack that are green, green-blue and/or green-yellow with low darkness (ie, more white tint with no black tint).
FruitImagery or text associated with fruit.
AquaticImagery of aquatic and/or seascape elements (eg, oceans, rivers, water drop, ice, beach).
SkyscapeImagery of blue sky, white clouds, sunshine or other sky-related weather.
LandscapeImagery of mountains, farms, prairies and other large outdoor natural settings (excludes beaches).
Familiarity and youth lifestyleRecognisable, comforting imagery and text that evokes youth, fitness and being down-to-earth.SportsImagery or text associated with sports (eg, football).
Product materialsImagery or text indicating product costs more to produce or is environmentally friendly.RecyclingRecycling symbol or signs (eg, green dot symbol, ‘tidy man’, three arrows, green leaf).
EnergeticEnergetic, vibrant colours and images.Bright coloursBackground colours on the cigarette pack that are yellow, orange, red or green with high saturation and brightness.
Health and marketing claimsImagery or text to convince people that the product is good for physical/mental health.Positive descriptionText that describes a positive taste or feeling associated with product use (eg, fresh, cool, crisp, refreshing).
Quality certificationImagery indicating a brand is following quality standards or received a quality certification.TarText and/or numbers that explicitly state or describe the tar level in the cigarettes (eg, ‘low tar’, <6 mg of tar).
Quality standardImagery of quality certification signs that ensure a product is of high quality (eg, quick response code linked to a website to verify the authenticity of the pack or the quality of the tobacco; certified organic tobacco certification symbol).

  • *The category names were obtained from the group concept mapping process. The original category name corresponds to a cluster of 2 or more of the original 61 statements (see online supplemental table 1). We present the original category name to maintain the integrity of the concept mapping process from which our pack feature codes were derived. Codes that were not culturally relevant or used in the tobacco marketing history were excluded. For instance, although ‘healthy looking models or characters’ was an example of youth-lifestyle concept but was not relevant because tobacco control researchers determined the likelihood this type of imagery would appear on cigarette packs was low.