Product Packaging's Influence on Smoking: A Comprehensive Analysis

This report analyzes the influence of product packaging on smoking behavior, focusing on how plain packaging, as opposed to branded packaging, diminishes the appeal of tobacco products. It draws on research from various studies, including those by Hoek et al. (2012), Dunlop et al. (2017), and Wakefield et al. (2012), to demonstrate the effectiveness of plain packaging in reducing the attractiveness of cigarettes, enhancing health warnings, and de-normalizing smoking. The report highlights that plain packaging reduces positive associations with tobacco products, making them less appealing to both smokers and potential smokers. It also references the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the tobacco plain packaging bill of 2011, emphasizing the importance of such policies in global efforts to curb smoking. The findings suggest that plain packaging is a critical component of anti-smoking measures and should be encouraged worldwide. The report uses the symbolic consumption theory to understand the impact of branding and packaging on consumer perceptions and behaviors.

Running head : PRODUCT PACKAGING
Product Packaging
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PRODUCT PACKAGING
Topic - How does packaging rather than branded packaging reduce the attraction to
smoking?
The product packaging is an integral part of the marketing plan of a particular
business. The packaging of the product can be a selling point for many customers which
deliver a sense of quality and reflect the brand image of the product. In the retail sales, the
right packaging design is helpful as it attracts the consumer’s eye and makes the product
different than the other products. In the article of Hoek et al. (2012), the symbolic
consumption theory has been used in relation to branding for exploring the way the cigarette
packaging would influence the identities cocreated with the tobacco products by the adults.
The authors interviewed 86 young adult smokers and the non smokers too in order to
investigate the way plain cigarette packaging and tobacco branding are perceived. The
findings of their study revealed the use of sophisticated imagery by the tobacco brands in
order to reinforce the identities to which the non-smokers/ smokers might aspire. On the
other hand, the plain packaging reduces the appeal of the product when the brand imagery is
eliminated. In this regard the tobacco packaging policies should be dragged as mentioned in
the article of David Hammond ( 2010 ).
Although the packaging and the labelling policies have been designed to focus on the
health warnings, there is a growing use of it as the marketing tool in the industry. The plain
packaging increases the effectiveness of the health warnings nullifying the false appeal
among the youth. Similarly, the study of Dunlop et al . (2017) has evaluated the attitudes and
responses towards the plain packs of tobacco prior and post implementation of the legislation
mandating plain packaging for tobacco products by Australia in the year 2012. The findings
revealed that the plain packaging became accepted by the youth and positively responded too.
Dr Matthew Thomas (2011) agrees with the fact that plain package g enhances the health
warnings and reduces the appeal of tobacco having researched on the industry documents.

2PRODUCT PACKAGING
Hence, it can be assumed that it can reduce the smoking habits in Australia as the plain
packaging comes with the anti-smoking measures for de-normalising smoking.
The tobacco plain packaging bill of 2011 has been highly effective in making this
mission successful and must be encouraged in every country across the world. In addition,
the findings of Freeman , Chapman and Rimmer (2008), talks about the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which requires the nations which have supported
the banning of tobacco promotion and advertising. Wakefield et al. ( 2012) are of the opinion
that as compared to the branded packs , the plain packs reduce the smokers’ ratings of the “
positive pack characteristics” , the “ positive smoker characteristics” and the “ positive taste
characteristics” . The findings are extremely surprising as they reveal that the plain pack
cigarettes are used by those people who are “ boring” than those people who use the branded
packaging. Therefore, it can be concluded that the plain packing are less appealing as they
showcase the harms of tobacco more and do the branding of the product less.

3PRODUCT PACKAGING
References
Dunlop, S., Perez, D., Dessaix, A. and Currow, D., 2017. Australia's plain tobacco packs:
anticipated and actual responses among adolescents and young adults 2010–2013. Tobacco
control, 26(6), pp.617-626.
Freeman, B., Chapman, S. and Rimmer, M., 2008. The case for the plain packaging of
tobacco products. Addiction, 103(4), pp.580-590.
Hammond, D., 2010. " Plain packaging" regulations for tobacco products: the impact of
standardizing the color and design of cigarette packs. salud pública de méxico, 52, pp.S226-
S232.
Hoek, J., Gendall, P., Gifford, H., Pirikahu, G., McCool, J., Pene, G., Edwards, R. and
Thomson, G., 2012. Tobacco branding, plain packaging, pictorial warnings, and symbolic
consumption. Qualitative Health Research, 22(5), pp.630-639.
Matthew, T. (2019). Plain packaging of tobacco products – Parliament of Australia. [online]
Aph.gov.au. Available at:
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/
Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook43p/tobaccopackaging [Accessed 22 May 2019].
Wakefield, M., Germain, D., Durkin, S., Hammond, D., Goldberg, M. and Borland, R.
(2012). Do larger pictorial health warnings diminish the need for plain packaging of
cigarettes?. Addiction, 107(6), pp.1159-1167.