Cigarettes and Plain Packaging: Does it actually matter?

Cigarettes and plain packaging; Does it actually matter?

Brands do have an appeal. That’s why Tobacco companies spend millions promoting a brand and defending the right to keep the brand prominent on retailer shelves.

Brands create expectations in the mind of the user and the mind of the person watching the user. Brands create and exploit the “emotional connect”. Using a brand makes people feel good about themselves and has prestige appeal.

Branding is especially significant where young people are involved. In the UK about 600 children start smoking every single day. This equates to 200000 children per year. In a declining smoking market like the UK, it is vitally important for the tobacco companies to attract the next generation of paying customers before they kill off their current customers. Young people are far more likely to be affected by branding than the older long term smoker who may be happy with roll ups.

In the UK, the packaging will most likely just have a brand name and make along with a stark health warning. This already has been in force in Australia for a few years and has been recently adopted in Ireland too.

The tobacco companies feel that this brand masking will lead to increased smuggling, possibly more illegal activity and will affect struggling retailers. They feel people may use more rollups. THIS IS RUBBISH and has all been proved wrong.

So what happens when you use plain packaging for cigarettes?

Firstly it makes the packet less appealing. Young people associate colours like drab brown or olive with more harms.

Secondly consumers think it tastes worse. This is akin to coffee tasting better in white cups than takeaway cups.

Thirdly plain packaging increases negative feelings and perception and people have more thoughts of quitting

Financially, excise and customs duty from sales of cigarettes fell 3.4% in Australia. This proves that plain packaging did affect cigarette sales. EVEN A 2% REDUCTION IN SMOKING INITIATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE MEANS 4000 FEWER NEW SMOKERS EACH YEAR. This is a goal worth aspiring to.

It is also easy to see why food companies are worried. High refined sugar products may be next on the hit list.