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Cigarette Packet’s Color And Design Could Dupe Smokers! Tobacco is the most common substance people smoked. In fact, tobacco smoking began as early as 5000 to 3000 BC. By the year of 2000, it was estimated that some 1.22 billion people smoked. Men are more likely to smoke than women, though the gender difference declines with younger age. Over the years, more and more findings have proved that smoking could most likely lead to heart disease and lung cancer. Smoking has been named as a major risk factor for cancer (particularly lung cancer, cancers of the larynx and mouth, and pancreatic cancer), heart attack, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and emphysema. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco smoking caused 5.4 million deaths in 2004 and 100 million deaths over the course of the 20th century. Passive smoking can also be seriously bad for the body with 603,000 deaths attributed to second-hand smoke in 2004. In the late 1920s, the first anti-smoking campaign in history had begun after German scientists identified the association between smoking and lung. Following political action against smoking in the 1980s, the rate of consumption has either peaked or declined from 1965 onwards in the developed world but continues to climb in the developing nations.
Undoubtedly, the revenue of tobacco companies have seriously affected by the anti-smoking campaigns worldwide. As such, they would have to use different marketing strategy that creates a perception that some cigarettes are less harmful than others. But how can this possible? Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada recently pointed out that color of a cigarette packet could simply dupe smokers into thinking the cigarettes it contains are less harmful to their health. Their findings showed that tobacco companies are now using design elements and color, in addition to words like ‘light’, ‘mild, and ‘low-tar’ that have been banned from using on cigarette packets in more than 40 countries including United States, to give smokers a wrong perception on the harmful effects of smoking. Their paper was published on August 4, 2009 in the Oxford University Press Journal of Public Health. In the study, some 600 adults smokers and non-smokers were presented with a pair of cigarette packets that were specifically designed. These participants were then asked questions on their thought: what would be the content in the packets? All packets were made to look and feel as if they were real and contained cigarette but brand names were made up. Each packet also carried a pictorial health warning, as required by Canadian law. The pairs of packets were identical, except for one element: either a term like ‘full flavor’ or ‘light’, or a design element such as color was different. Around 80 percent of participants believed that cigarette in a light blue packet would deliver less tar, have a smoother taste and are less harmful to health than those in darker blue packets. Meanwhile, 70 percent of the participants also thought that a packet with white symbol would deliver less tar, is smoother and less unhealthy than cigarettes in a packet with a grey symbol. And surprisingly, 70 percent of participants believed the same benefits to be true of cigarettes in a packet bearing the words ‘charcoal filter’ and showing an image of the filter. Researchers also found that smokers were more likely than non-smokers to be deceived by the color, imagery and words of the package since they have higher incentive to believe some cigarettes might be less harmful. In order to prevent the tobacco companies from misleading smokers, the researchers suggested expanding the list of prohibited words and insisted cigarettes should be sold in plain packaging. There is growing evidence that plain packaging, with brand imagery being removed, is less attractive and engaging, and could reduce the appeal of brands and enhance the salience of health warnings.
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