Tobacco Advertising Research Articles

Tobacco and cannabis use advertisements targeting adolescents and young adults on Snapchat in 2019

Social media platforms offer opportunities for targeted health communication ads to improve tobacco and cannabis prevention efforts. This study described tobacco and cannabis-related ads targeted towards adolescents and young adults on Snapchat. Data comprised of publicly available tobacco (n = 70) and cannabis-related (n = 64) ads from Snapchat in 2019. Identified themes included: Health consequences (Health effects of tobacco or cannabis use), Financial & legal consequences (Adverse financial or legal implications of substance use), Quitting (Resources for cessation), Industry tactics(Tobacco industry misleads individuals), Policy advocacy (Cannabis law reforms or legalization). Ad performance metrics included average Ad Impressions (number of views per ad) and Ad Spend (cost per ad). Ads were also categorized by Sponsoring Organizations (Government or Advocacy organizations). Health Consequences was the predominant theme followed by Quitting among tobacco-related ads. Government organizations sponsored most tobacco-related ads. Tobacco-related ads targeting adolescents received mean = 4,122,071 impressions and cost mean = $10,385.6 per ad. Tobacco-related ads targeting young adults received mean = 2,151,217 impressions and cost mean = $5,382.1 per ad. Health Consequences was a predominant theme among cannabis-related ads followed by Policy Advocacy. Advocacy organizations sponsored most cannabis-related ads targeting young adults. Cannabis-related ads targeting adolescents received mean = 415,293.8 impressions and cost mean=$793.92 per ad. Cannabis-related ads targeting young adults received mean = 293,267.7 impressions, and cost mean = $740.58. Government and advocacy organization sponsored ads reached millions of adolescents and young adults on Snapchat. Prevention campaigns may consider these number of impressions and cost per ad by theme when designing platform specific ads in the future.

Eye tracking applied to tobacco smoking: current directions and future perspectives.

Over the years the general awareness of the health costs associated with tobacco smoking has motivated scientists to apply the measurement of eye movements to this form of addiction. On one hand they have investigated whether smokers attend and look preferentially at smoking related scenes and objects. In parallel, on the other hand eye tracking has been used to test how smokers and nonsmokers interact with the different types of health warning that policymakers have mandated in tobacco advertisements and packages. Here we provide an overview of the main findings from the different lines of research, such as the evidence related to the attentional bias for smoking cues in smokers and the evidence that graphic warning labels and plain packages measurably increase the salience of the warning labels. We point to some open questions, such as the conditions that determine whether heavy smokers exhibit a tendency to actively avoid looking at graphic warning labels. Finally we argue that the research applied to gaze exploration of warning labels would benefit from a more widespread use of the more naturalistic testing conditions (e.g. mobile eye tracking or virtual reality) that have been introduced to study the smokers’ attentional bias for tobacco-related objects when freely exploring the surrounding environment.

Can warning labels mitigate effects of advertising message claims in celebrity-endorsed Instagram-based electronic cigarette advertisements? Influence on social media users’ E-cigarette attitudes and behavioral intentions

ABSTRACT Electronic cigarette brands are increasingly using social media to advertise their products. This study examined effects of advertising message claim type (reduced risk [‘Healthier than regular cigarettes’], cessation [‘Quit smoking using e-cigarettes’] versus no message claim) and health warning labels (presence versus absence) in celebrity-endorsed Instagram e-cigarette brand advertisements. A 3 × 2 between-subjects experiment was conducted through an online questionnaire, with participants (N = 275) randomly assigned to 1 of 6 experimental conditions. Presence of a health warning label exerted significant main effects on attitude towards the ad, intention to use e-cigarettes, and brand attitude, and interacted with message claim type to affect these dependent measures. Health consciousness, perceived information value, and celebrity identification also significantly moderated between presence of a health warning label and attitude towards the ad, intention to use e-cigarettes, and brand attitude. Presence of health warning labels in social media-based e-cigarette ads may therefore mitigate potential effects of positive advertising claims in these ads. Implications for regulatory agencies and future research are discussed.

Tobacco Control in Bolivia: Transnational Civil Society Efforts in Securing a Comprehensive Law.

To document the adoption of a comprehensive tobacco control law in Bolivia, a low-income country in South America. Analysis of the Bolivian case study by reviewing news sources, tobacco control legislation, industry websites, and advocacy reports. Application of the Policy Dystopia Model to analyze tobacco industry and health advocacy arguments and action-based strategies. For decades tobacco control progress in Bolivia remained relatively stagnant due to industry interference. In the 2000s and 2010s, Bolivia ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and implemented a couple of laws that began restricting smoking in public places and tobacco advertising. In 2015, tobacco control civil society emerged with the creation of Fundación InterAmericana del Corazón (FIC) Bolivia, which began coordinating efforts to counter industry interference. Between 2016 and 2020, FIC Bolivia with financial and technical support from international health groups proactively coordinated interministerial meetings, identified and met with key policymakers, and held public educational socialization events to introduce and support a FCTC-based tobacco control bill. Tobacco companies argued to policymakers and the media the bill would result in lost sales/jobs, increase illicit trade and help smugglers profit but only secured minimal changes. In February 2020, Bolivia passed Law 1280, which established 100% smoke-free environments, banned tobacco advertising (except at the point-of-sale), required 60% pictorial health warnings, among others. International financial and technical support combined with proactive advocacy strategies, including identifying and engaging key policymakers, coordinating interministerial meetings, and educating the public can help pass strong tobacco control laws, especially in low-income countries. Low- and middle-income countries struggle to adopt comprehensive tobacco control legislation due to weak state capacity, limited resources, and aggressive tobacco industry interference. This is one of a handful of studies to examine the adoption of a comprehensive tobacco control law in a low-income country, Bolivia. Proactive health advocacy strategies, including identifying and engaging key political allies, helping coordinate interministerial meetings, and aggressively educating and engaging the public can help pass strong tobacco control laws, especially in low-income countries.

Potential Risk Factors of Smokeless Tobacco Consumption Among Adolescents in South India.

IntroductionAlthough most of the disease burden internationally is due to tobacco smoking, smokeless tobacco (SLT) use contributed to an estimated 76 000 deaths in 2017. We have studied the potential risk factors for SLT use among adolescents in South India.MethodsA cross-sectional questionnaire survey of all students in grades 6–8 in schools in the Udupi district of Karnataka State ascertained SLT use status and potential determinants of SLT uptake. Ever SLT use was defined as any reported consumption of any SLT products, currently or at any time in the past. Independent effects on ever SLT use status were estimated using multiple logistic regression.ResultsOf 46 706 students from 914 participating schools, 39 282 (84.1%) provided questionnaire responses sufficiently complete for analysis. Ever SLT use was reported by 775 (2.0%) participants and in a mutually adjusted model was significantly related to age, male sex, family use, or friend’s use of SLT, low socioeconomic status, high rebelliousness, and low self-esteem. After controlling for these effects, the odds of ever-SLT use were significantly higher among students who had least awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use (odds ratio 3.7, 95% confidence interval [2.9, 4.7]) and significantly lower among those not exposed to tobacco advertising (odds ratio 0.7, 95% confidence interval [0.5, 0.8]).ConclusionsThe prevalence of SLT use among children in Karnataka is relatively low when compared with other studies in India. The significant potential risk factors of SLT use include low awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco and tobacco control policies and exposure to tobacco advertising.ImplicationsThe prevalence of SLT use among school going adolescents in South India is relatively low. The potential risk factors for SLT use among adolescents in southern India are similar to those for smoked tobacco. It includes age, male gender, family or friend’s use of SLT, low socioeconomic status, high rebelliousness, low self-esteem, exposure to tobacco advertisement and least awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco and of tobacco control policies. The present study lays emphasis regarding creating awareness about tobacco harms and control policies for further reducing tobacco use among adolescents.

Analisis Pelanggaran Etika Bisnis Terhadap Penayangan Iklan Rokok Di Pertelevisian Indonesia

No single business actor does not advertise their products, be it products made from herbal ingredients, synthetic materials, or even hazardous materials. Advertising itself can be done in various ways, and one way that is currently immensely loved by business people is to advertise their products through television media. Cigarette advertising itself has been considered to have committed several business ethics violations. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were violations of business ethics that occurred during the broadcast of cigarette advertisements on television. The type of research that will be applied in this research is qualitative research using descriptive qualitative methods. The results showed two kinds of business ethics violations that occurred during the broadcast of cigarette advertisements; the two types of violations were moral violations and empathy violations. Moral violations occur because of the ineffectiveness of limiting cigarette advertisements that the government has set. Meanwhile, the violation of empathy occurs because of a sense of indifference to the cigarette company about the harmful effects that can be caused by smoking behavior on consumer health.

Influence of Psychological Factors on College Students' Smoking Behavior: Moderating Role of Tobacco Advertising Receptivity and Health Behavior.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to examine the role of psychological factors affecting college students' smoking behavior. We considered 3 psychological factors in this study - depressive symptoms, novelty seeking personality, and stress, which are common among learners in institutions of higher learning. Furthermore, we also considered the moderating effect of tobacco advertising receptivity and health behavior. Methods: In this study, we used a cross-sectional research design, wherein data were collected through a survey questionnaire, designed on a Likert scale. We received 160 responses for data analysis. Our primary analysis used partial least squares (PLS). Results: Depressive symptoms, novelty seeking personality, stress, and tobacco advertising receptivity had significant positive relationships with college students' smoking behavior; however, pro-health behavior had a negative effect on smoking behavior. Conclusion: Our results reveal a major role of depressive symptoms, novelty seeking personality and stress in shaping the smoking behavior of college students in China. Additionally, the moderating variables of tobacco advertising receptivity and health behavior showed considerable impact, as both showed a positive influence on psychological factors and smoking behavior of college students. Finally, our results provide insights for practitioners to devise strategies to address smoking behavior in college students.

The Playground of Big Tobacco? Discourse Network Analysis of the Cigarette Advertising Debate and Policy in Indonesia

This study contributes to an understanding of the discourses of cigarette advertising which intersect within policy debate, media exposure, and the interests of a debate’s primary actors. The policy refers to the existing legislation that has been evolved for ten years. Meanwhile, the debate refers to the nuance of banning the cigarette advertisement in fully or partially form of regulation. It identifies and maps discourse coalitions that emerged as part of Indonesia’s cigarette advertising debate (2010–2020) through an analysis of the main actors’ use of arguments during media coverage of the policy. The findings highlight the contested ground—as well as nature—of the cigarette advertising debate and policy in Indonesia. The current research was able to map the actors, arguments, target audience, as well as channels and impacts of the debate over the evolution of policy in the nation. As implied, the current research engages in the critical use of Lasswell’s model in communication and the process of constructing policy with the strong ties of interest from organizations behind the discourse.

Public Support for Cigarette Pack Pictorial Health Warnings Among US Adults: A Cross-sectional Analysis of the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey.

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule requiring new warnings for cigarette packages and advertisements. This study examines population-level characteristics of support for-versus neutrality or opposition toward-cigarette pack warnings that use text and images to portray the negative health effects of smoking. We used nationally representative cross-sectional data of US adults age 18 and older from the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (n = 3865). Frequencies and weighted proportions were calculated for neutrality toward, opposition to, and support for pictorial warnings across sociodemographics and other predictors. Weighted, multivariable logistic regression examined predictors of being neutral or opposed versus supportive of pictorial warnings. In 2020, an estimated 69.9% of US adults supported pictorial warnings, 9.1% opposed, and 20.9% neither supported nor opposed them. In fully adjusted models, current smokers had almost twice the odds of being neutral or opposed to pictorial warnings as never smokers (odds ratio [OR] = 1.99, confidence interval [CI] 1.12, 3.52). Adults 75 years and older (vs. 18-34) (OR = 0.55, CI 0.33, 0.94) and those with children under 18 in their household (vs. no children) (OR = 0.67, CI 0.46, 0.98) were less likely to be neutral or opposed. In advance of the Food and Drug Administration's implementation of pictorial warnings on cigarette packages, nearly 70% of American adults support this policy. Disseminating information about the effectiveness of pictorial warnings may further strengthen support among current smokers who are less supportive than never smokers. Furthermore, framing messages around the benefits of pictorial warnings for protecting youth may increase public support. While public support for pictorial warnings on cigarette packages is high in the United States, it may increase further after policy implementation and be strengthened by utilizing information campaigns that convey the evidence that pictorial warnings are an effective public health strategy.

Determinan perilaku merokok pada siswa MTSS Alue Bilie Kecamatan Darul Makmur Kabupaten Nagan Raya

Background: Smoking behavior is the main cause of adolescent health problems in the world such as upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Adolescent smoking behavior is influenced by knowledge, attitudes, extracurricular activities, cigarette advertisements, the influence of parents and peers.Objective: This study aims to determine the determinants of smoking behavior in MTSS Alue Bilie students, Darul Makmur District, Nagan Raya Regency.Method: The research method uses comprehensive analytic with a cross sectional approach. The population is all class students at MTSS Alue Bilie from grades VII and VIII totaling 40 male students. Sampling using the total population technique. Data analysis used univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis.Results: Based on the results of the study, it was found that there was a relationship between knowledge and smoking behavior (ρ=0.001), there was a relationship between attitudes towards smoking behavior (ρ= 0.004, there was a relationship between cigarette advertising and smoking behavior (ρ= 0.003), there was a peer relationship with smoking behavior. (ρ= 0.004), and there is a parental relationship to smoking behavior (ρ= 0.042). The determinant factor that has the greatest relationship to smoking behavior is knowledge with an OR= 13.9.Conclusion: Positive attitudes had a 2.24 times relationship to the participation of pregnant women in hepatitis B screening than negative attitudes.

Trends in Cigarette Marketing Expenditures, 1975-2019: An Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Reports.

With tightened regulations on cigarette marketing and decreased smoking, the major tobacco companies quickly shifted their marketing expenditures in recent decades to maintain profits. We investigated cigarette marketing expenditures in the United States from 1975 through 2019 to examine the trends in cigarette marketing expenditures over the past 45 years. Cigarette marketing expenditure data were obtained from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cigarette reports, 1975-2019. Based on individual expenditure categories included in the FTC reports, we created seven aggregate categories for marketing expenditures: Retail; Print; Out of home; Free tobacco products and gifts; Sports, public entertainment, and sponsorships; Telephone and digital; and Other. Dollar amounts and percentages by category were examined to assess trends in marketing expenditures. Cigarette marketing expenditures increased since 1975 and peaked in 2003 at $21.1 billion (adjusted dollars); afterward, they declined dramatically until 2010 and remained stable at around $9 billion through 2019. While all other expenditures decreased, retail expenditures increased, comprising more than 50% of expenditures in 1988 and reaching about 98% in 2019. In the retail category, tobacco companies spent the most on promotional allowances, coupons, and retail-value-added bonuses between 1988 and 2003, after which price discounts dominated retail spending. Overall, cigarette marketing expenditures peaked in 2003 and retail first became the leading category in 1988. Tobacco companies adapted their marketing strategies in retail and allocated most of their retail spending on price discounts since 2003 to lower cigarette prices. The major US tobacco companies directed the bulk of their vast spending on the retail environment since 1988. Moreover, they have dramatically shifted their marketing strategies within the retail category from cigarette advertising before 2003 to customer-directed price discounts since then. This shift may imply a change in focus from recruiting new smokers to retaining current smokers, in response to tax increases and government regulations. Accordingly, restrictions on price-related promotions in retail and nontax strategies should be implemented to counter tobacco companies' marketing efforts in retail.

(De)instrumentalizacija pušenja u savremenoj vizuelnoj kulturi na primjeru arhetipa buntovnika/buntovnice

The idea of 'rebellion/disobedience as an immanence of freedom' is a frequently used concept in storytelling strategies, whether art, marketing, or political activism. This idea can simultaneously or successively permeate all three areas, which is plastically demonstrated by the example of the rebel archetype. Originally used to advertise cigarette brands by celebrities, the archetype served as a means by which the tobacco industry reached new categories of consumers, who saw smoking as an act of liberation from social restraints and prejudices. By strengthening the so-called health agenda, and especially its use for political purposes, there are many bans on both direct consumption and advertising of cigarettes. Instead of directly promoting brands, the tobacco industry opts for indirectly mediating the act of smoking in visual culture, but this time with the use of narratives with a central rebel figure. By additional labeling and marginalization of smokers in public discourse, which often turns out to be a kind of act of political hypocrisy/screen for numerous undemocratic activities, smoking within the visual culture is increasingly presented as an act of rebellion, that is, a symbol of the struggle against political correctness and law-washed repression. In that context, through the historical presentation of the use of the rebel archetype in visual culture, mainly in movies and TV series, that is, through a descriptive-analytical approach to selected figures of smokers-rebels, within this research we will consider the decades-long symbiosis of the tobacco industry and marketing strategies of storytelling, as well as subversive artistic practices that oppose them. The results of the undertaken research indicate that the (de) instrumentalization of smoking in contemporary visual culture turns out to be a very current topic that pretends to anticipate cultural trends in a way and in ranges that go beyond the act of smoking and its direct implications.

Freedom of Commercial Expression and Public Health Protection at the European Court of Human Rights.

This contribution considers the case law of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and focuses on the extent to which the Contracting Parties to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) can regulate the tobacco, alcohol, and food industries in a manner compatible with their ECHR obligations. After briefly presenting the two key cases dealing specifically with tobacco advertising, this contribution considers the main factors that the ECtHR takes into account when balancing competing concerns, and in particular freedom of commercial expression and public health protection. It concludes that none of these factors is absolute, as the Court considers the strength of each one of them on the facts of each case. Nevertheless, it is clear from its case law that States have a wide margin of appreciation to regulate marketing practices that are inimical to public health and the prevention of non-communicable diseases more specifically, to the extent that even extensive advertising restrictions can be compatible with Article 10 of the ECHR.

Cigarette Prices and Smoking Experimentation in Sierra Leone: An Exploratory Study.

This study examines the effect of cigarette prices on the likelihood of experimental smoking among adolescents in Sierra Leone. The study links data from the 2017 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) to price data covering 2008–2017 obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO). After employing duration analysis techniques, we find that increases in cigarette prices are associated with a lower probability of smoking experimentation, with an estimated price elasticity of −1.63 (CI: −.24 to −3.02). Other factors affecting an adolescent’s decision to experiment with smoking are parental and friends’ smoking status, gender, exposure to tobacco advertising, and income. We conclude that higher prices, through excise taxation, are important tools for controlling smoking uptake among the youth of Sierra Leone.

Commercial Speech and the Prohibition of Tobacco Advertising: The Colombian Constitutional Court Approach.

This article argues that the decision by the Columbian high court to totally ban the advertising and promotion of tobacco products is sound and could indeed be applied to other types of harmful products.

Prevalence and Determinants of Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Adolescent Girls - China, 2019.

The rate of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among female junior high students in 2013-2014 in China was 69.9%. The rate of SHS among adolescent girls in 2019 in China was 62.8%, with 60.8% in junior high and 65.3% in senior high school, meanwhile, higher SHS exposure was correlated to higher grade levels, senior high school over junior high school, urban areas, those with more pocket money, those who've attempted smoking, exposure to tobacco advertisements, those with parents who smoke, those with close friends who smoke, use of e-cigarettes, and belief that SHS exposure is detrimental to health. The rate of SHS exposure among adolescent girls in China still remains extraordinarily high. Targeted public health initiatives to curb SHS exposure among adolescent girls are urgently needed in China.

Advertising in Video Games: Legal Qualifications

The article is addressed to the legal analysis of advertising placed in video games. Topical issues of the concept of advertising are touched upon from the point of view of its compliance with the legal definition enshrined in the Federal Law "On Advertising". There has been analized the distribution of advertising in video games, such as ads embedded in game content, including "product placement". In Russian legislation, there is an analogue of this
 category which is defined by the legislator as “references to a product, means of its individualization, about a manufacturer or seller of a product, which are organically integrated into works of science, literature or art”. The conclusion is made about the possibility of qualifying this technique as an advertisement in the absence of a sign of "organic integration". The examples of judicial and law enforcement practice of inorganic integration are considered. In such cases, the disseminated information is recognized as advertising, in respect of which the requirements of advertising legislation regarding restrictions on advertising of tobacco and alcohol, weapons and a number of other goods must be observed. There are special requirements for video games for minors in order to protect their rights. The author presents the position regarding the qualification of targeted advertising from the point of view of its compliance with such a sign of advertising as being addressed to an indefinite group of people. The conclusion is supported by the argument that personalization of an advertising message does not exclude its qualification as an advertisement. The problem of advertising distribution in computer games, including multiplayer games, carried out via the Internet, where obtaining the preliminary consent of the online game user to receive advertising is achieved by including this condition in the user agreement, is investigated. The conclusion is made about the need to improve legal regulation in the studied field.

U.S. public opinion toward policy restrictions to limit tobacco product placement and advertising at point-of-sale and on social media

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act granted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco advertising and promotion, including at the retail level, and preserved state, tribal, and local tobacco advertising and promotion authorities. Public health experts have proposed prohibiting point-of-sale tobacco advertisements and product displays, among other tobacco advertising restrictions. We examined the prevalence and correlates of public support, opposition, and neutrality toward proposed tobacco product placement and advertising restrictions at point-of-sale and on social media utilizing the National Cancer Institute's 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) (N = 3865), a cross-sectional, probability-based postal survey of U.S. addresses conducted from Feb 24, 2020 to June 15, 2020 (Bethesda, MD). Frequencies and unadjusted, weighted proportions were calculated for support, neutrality, and opposition toward the three policies under study, and weighted, adjusted multivariable logistic regression was employed to examine predictors of neutrality and opposition. Tests of significance were conducted at the p < 0.05 level. Sixty-two percent of U.S. adults supported a policy prohibiting tobacco product advertising on social media; 55% supported a policy restricting the location of tobacco product advertising at point-of-sale; and nearly 50% supported a policy to keep tobacco products out of view at the checkout counter. Neutrality and opposition varied by sociodemographic characteristics including age, sex, education, rurality, and presence of children in the household. Understanding public opinion toward tobacco product placement and advertising restrictions may inform policy planning and implementation.

The challenges in the deployment of a legal ban on tobacco advertisement on the example of Poland

The challenges in the deployment of a legal ban on tobacco advertisement on the example of Poland

Point of Sale Advertising and Promotion of Cigarettes, Electronic Cigarettes, and Heated Tobacco Products in Warsaw, Poland-A Pilot Study.

Prevalence of smoking and e-cigarette use among teenagers in Poland is high. Polish law bans most advertising and promotion for cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products (HTPs). This study investigates marketing for these products at points of sale (POS) near secondary schools in Warsaw, Poland, noting if the advertising and promotion were allowed under current Polish laws. All POS within 250 m radii of five selected secondary schools in each of three Warsaw districts were assessed for tobacco and e-cigarette direct advertising, inside and outside; offers of gifts or promotional discounts; tobacco merchandising, and tobacco displays. Of the 112 POS surveyed, 83% exposed customers to some form of advertising or promotion of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or HTPs; in 76%, advertising or promotion that violated Polish law was present. More than 80% of POS surveyed displayed tobacco products; in 19%, these products were displayed near products of interest to minors. POS density observed here was 30.3 per km2, higher than in other European cities. In Poland, a high proportion of POS near schools violates the law banning the advertisement and promotion of tobacco and nicotine consumer products through a dense tobacco retailer network.