This Report On The Effects Of Cigarette Advertising On Consumer

This report on the effects of cigarette advertising on consumer behavior was commissioned by Imperial Tobacco and RJR-Macdonald of Canada. It was written by Joel B. Cohen, Ph.D. (Distinguished Service Professor of Marketing, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology and Director, Center for Consumer Research) of the University of Florida. In the report, Dr. Cohen disputes the industry's oft-repeated claim that its advertising is aimed only at getting existing adult smokers to switch brands. Cohen says, "The need to replace smokers who either quit or are casualties of smoking has led many to question cigarette industry claims that their advertising is intended primarily to encourage brand switching...the U.S. evidence indicates that the tobacco industry spends about $9 per person per day for advertising and promotion, and only 10% of smokers switch brands in an average year...Accordingly, such expenditure--purely for brand switching--would seem to be difficult to justify economically...." [Pages 3-4] In Section 1.40 Cohen poses the question, "Couldn't the advertising only make the particular cigarette attractive for existing smokers?" Response: "The answer is essentially 'No,'" and explains why this is the case. Cohen ridicules the industry's claim that cigarette advertising would only appeal to adults who already smoke, saying, "Nonsmokers, and particularly adolescents, cannot be made immune to advertising effects... [the industry's argument] is as if a magic curtain could be put in place to shield children, teenagers and others from the impact of these appeals. No convincing theoretical argument or empirical evidence has yet been introduced by the cigarette industry to demonstrate that otherwise effective advertising is mysteriously ineffective for adolescents who have yet to become smokers. Until such evidence is provided, this proposition cannot be taken seriously." [Page 8] Thus it appears that RJR-Macdonald and Imperial hired an advertising expert who concluded that the companies' most common arguments about the reach and effects of their advertising cannot not possibly be true.

Fields Notes Notes Cohen appears to have referred to this report in his 1981 testimony before the National Interagency Council on Smoking and Health (about a bill to require rotating health warnings on cigarette packs). In his statement he said he prepared a report about attitudes within the context of cigarette advertising at the request of R.J. Reynolds. Cohen favored the rotating health warnings, saying he believed they would be more effective than a single warning. His statement can be seen at http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/cgi/getdoc?tid=zag41f00&fmt=pdf&ref=results Quotes [From Page 3]: The need to replace smokers who either quit smoking or are casualties of smoking has led many to question cigarette industry claims that their advertising is intended primarily to encourage

brand switching. Some defend the economic value of brand switching by underscoring the profitability of cigarettes. However, the U.S. evidence indicates that the tobacco industry spends about $9 per person per day for advertising and promotion, and only 10% of smokers switch brands in an average year (Warner, 1986; 1989 Surgeon General's Report page 503). Most consumers merely switch among brands of the same company...or move back and forth among the three companies that control 99% of the market. Accordingly, such expenditures -- purely for brand switching -- would seem to be difficult to justify economically... [From Page 9]: In truth, there is no such thing as "only brand switching advertising." Any advertising effective enough to entice consumers to switch brands has, by definition, made a particular cigarette more appealing. While it is possible to debate how much more appealing a particular cigarette brand has become as a result of advertising...if the advertising did not add significantly to the appeal of the brand it would be changed... It may be relevant here to respond to the question, "Couldn't the advertising only make the particular cigarette attractive for existing smokers?" Though the reasons for this will be clearer a little later in our discussion, the answer is essentially, "No." [From Page 8]: 1.50 Nonsmokers Cannot Be Shielded From Advertising Nonsmokers, and particularly adolescents, cannot be made immune to advertising effects -- even if the primary goal of such advertising were to attract smokers of other brands....[C]onsider the argument that cigarette advertising functions primarily to motivate brand switching. In order to accept this idea we would need to believe that the attractive and heavily researched images and symbols connected to cigarette smoking and the various brands only "work" on people who already smoke. It is as if a magic curtain could be put in place to shield children, teenagers and other from the impact of these appeals. No convincing theoretical argument or empirical evidence has yet been introduced by the cigarette industry to demonstrate that otherwise effective advertising is mysteriously ineffective for adolescents who have yet to become sokers. Until such evidence is provided, this proposition cannot be taken seriously. New Smokers Are Being Added In the Canadian cigarette market, the "code term" for new, replacement smokers appears to be "starters." They are also referred to as "new smokers" and "first time smokers." Whether by intent or not, cigarette industry advertising and promotion are bringing new smokers into the market: "Nearly half of those who have switched to duMaurier in the past two years are new smokers" (Imperial Tobacco Document #163a: DuMaurier Red Marketing Plans, 1972). "Approximately 50% of Player's Filter new smokers are starters or from Export A" (Imperial Tobacco Document #172: Player's Filter Mini Marketing Plan, 197A). "Starters have been added to the mix as they play a very important role in the dynamics of the market. As can be seen, 84% of starting is absorbed by the three major segments, with the bulk going to the young popular brands of duMaurier Red and Player's Light" (Imperial Tobacco Document #160b: Project Sting, September 13, 1985, p.9). Further, in numerous documents tobacco companies have outlined their strategies against such target groups: "Continue media emphasis against the younger smoker segments (18-30) to eventually become more of starter's brand in Quebec" (Imperial Tobacco Document #172: Player's Filter Mini Marketing Plans, 1974). "At the same time, we will also endeavor to obtain for Player's Filter a greater share of the first time smokers" (Imperial Tobacco Document #8: Player's Filter Advertising Plan 1971, P.3)....

ScienceDaily (Feb. 12, 2009) — Alcohol advertising and marketing may lead to underage drinking. A large systematic review of more than

13,000 people suggests that exposure to ads and product placements, even those supposedly not directed at young people, leads to increased alcohol consumption. See also: Health & Medicine • • •

Infant's Health Children's Health Health Policy

Mind & Brain • • •

Alcoholism Addiction Consumer Behavior

Reference • • • •

Drunkenness Blood alcohol content Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder Familiarity increases liking

Lesley Smith and David Foxcroft from Oxford Brookes University collated information from seven rigorously selected studies, featuring information on 13,255 participants. This systematic review, funded by the Alcohol and Education Research Council (AERC), is the first to study the effects of advertising, product placement in films, games, sporting events and music videos, depictions of drinking in various media, and exposure to product stands in shops. According to Smith, "Our work provides strong empirical evidence to inform the policy debate on the impact of alcohol advertising on young people, and policy groups may wish to revise or strengthen their policy recommendations in the light of this stronger evidence". The authors found that exposure to TV alcohol advertisements was associated with an increased tendency to drink, as were magazine advertisements and concession stands at sporting events or concerts. Hours spent watching films, playing games and watching music videos also correlated with young peoples' tendency to consume alcoholic beverages. Smith said, "All seven studies demonstrated significant effects across a range of different exposure variables and outcome measures. One showed that for each additional hour of TV viewing per day the average risk of starting to drink increased by 9% during the following 18 months. Another found that for each additional hour of exposure to alcohol use depicted in popular movies there was a 15% increase in likelihood of having tried alcohol 13 to 26 months later". The authors recommend that counter-advertising, social marketing techniques and other prevention options such as parenting programmes, price increases and limiting availability may be useful to limit alcohol problems in young people

Coca-Cola or Pepsi; that is the Question : A study about different factors affecting consumer preferences

University essay from Växjö universitet/Ekonomihögskolan; Växjö universitet/Ekonomihögskolan; Växjö universitet/Ekonomihögskolan Author: Eva-lena Andersson; Evelina Arvidsson; Cecilie Lindström; [2006] Keywords: consumer preferences; influence; buying behaviour; factors; Abstract: Background: Today, advertising is a multi-billion industry, employing hundreds of thousands of people and affecting billions of people’s lives worldwide. Yet, seeing as advertising clutter has increased tremendously and is more intense than ever, it is vital that companies differentiate themselves from competitors by creating even more powerful, entertaining and innovative advertisement messages, as well as sponsoring different events. Examples of such companies that spend billion of dollars on marketing strategies in order to stay key players in their industry are The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo. Purpose: The overall purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of different international and local factors affecting consumer preferences on a local market. Method: A quantitative method was applied, and thus a questionnaire with 150 respondents on the local market was conducted. The respondents were divided into three different age groups: ? 18, 19-34, and ? 35, and represent a diverse set of people who are at different stages in their lives. Conclusions: International advertising and international sponsorship respectively influence the local target group in different ways, but they also affect international brand in that they have an impact on brand image and brand equity. Moreover, depending on a person’s age, consumers view brands differently, and thus have an effect on international brand alone, but also in combination with international advertisement and international sponsorship. Together, these factors influence the way in which a brand is perceived, and consequently influence consumer preferences. Red Bull May Not ‘Give You Wings' In today's world, the name Red Bull and the slogan "Red Bull Gives You Wings has been inscribed into the minds of consumers around the globe. The popular energy drink, which seems to have sky-rocketed in US as well as world-wide sales is no miracle drug, although it does seem that way by the overflowing demand. Known to many as a coffee substitute, Red Bull is able to give its buyers that extra push or burst of energy to keep their day going due to its increased amounts of caffeine, without the nasty aftertaste of coffee. No doubt its marketing strategies have made a massive impact on its increased sales, but at its start, it is no lie to call Red Bull a self-made success. In a time where everyone is craving a few extra hours of sleep or that boost to get them through the day, the advent of the Red Bull trend has sparked well founded controversies about its effects on its clients as well as the economy. But despite all the arguments surrounding the popular energy drink, it is obvious that this craze will remain intact for many years to come. Corporate legend has it that in the early 1980s, while traveling to Asia on business, Austrian Dietrich Mateschiz came across some very popular "energy drinks". While in Thailand, he saw that the rickshaw drivers drank a substance to keep them energized throughout the day known to the Thai as ‘Krating Daeng', a popular health tonic which roughly translated, means the Red Bull, in English. After some alterations to the recipe, and a flavor modification for the public, Red Bull was born. With his "uncanny instinct for successful product innovations", Mateschiz brought a small sample of energy beverages back to Europe along with a big idea. Then, with a clear vision and a lot of scientific knowledge, Dietrich and several other unnamed food scientists gave birth to the Red Bull Energy Drink which first hit shelves in Austria and the rest of Europe in 1987 (Wikipedia...

A study by psychologists Dr Carl Senior and Baldeesh Gakhal found that even average looking celebrity models in advertisements produced a greater emotional response in test subjects than good-looking, but non-celebrity endorsers.

The research in turn suggests that there may be a dedicated area in the brain that has now become hard wired to produce a reaction to celebrity endorsed products. Participants in the study were shown a series of specially constructed, hypothetical advertisements for perfume which used a series of models who were either famous or non-famous and either attractive or average looking. Their responses to the images were measured and analysed. Carl Senior said: ‘It is well known of course that both beauty and celebrity endorsements are used by marketers to sell products. Celebrities are chosen to advertise specific products because of what we call their ESP, or Emotional Selling Proposition. However, given that most celebrities are also considered to be attractive it is not known to what extent celebrity and beauty interact to drive consumer decision-making. ‘In our study we examined a specific question regarding the relationship of fame and beauty with consumer behaviour; namely, is there a difference in the emotive nature of celebrity advertisements compared to these adverts that depict attractive models who are non-celebrities? ‘Psychophysiological data were recorded from both of the subjects’ hands while being shown these test advertisements. The aim was to measure the electroconductivity of a form of fine sweating that is automatically generated during emotive responses on our hands, a technique which is also known as the electrodermal response. ‘Although it was a relatively small scale study, and there is certainly potential for further research, the results we obtained suggest that it doesn’t matter how attractive the celebrity is or isn’t because the test subjects still exhibited a greater emotional response when looking at a celebrity than