Packaging colour research by tobacco companies: the pack as a product characteristic

Abstract

Background Tobacco companies use colour on cigarette packaging and labelling to communicate brand imagery, diminish health concerns, and as a replacement for prohibited descriptive words (‘light’ and ‘mild’) to make misleading claims about reduced risks. Methods We analysed previously secret tobacco industry documents to identify additional ways in which cigarette companies tested and manipulated pack colours to affect consumers’ perceptions of the cigarettes’ flavour and strength. Results Cigarette companies’ approach to package design is based on ‘sensation transference’ in which consumers transfer sensations they derive from the packaging to the product itself. Companies manipulate consumers’ perceptions of the taste and strength of cigarettes by changing the colour of the packaging. For example, even without changes to the tobacco blends, flavourings or additives, consumers perceive the taste of cigarettes in packages with red and darker colours to be fuller flavoured and stronger, and cigarettes in packs with more white and lighter colours are perceived to taste lighter and be less harmful. Conclusions Companies use pack colours to manipulate consumers’ perceptions of the taste, strength and health impacts of the cigarettes inside the packs, thereby altering their characteristics and effectively creating new products. In countries that do not require standardised packaging, regulators should consider colour equivalently to other changes in cigarette characteristics (eg, physical characteristics, ingredients, additives and flavourings) when making determinations about whether or not to permit new products on the market.

Is the cigarette pack just a wrapper or a characteristic of the product itself? A qualitative study of adult smokers to inform U.S. regulations

“…Specific to tobacco products, our findings are also consistent with tobacco industry internal documents [8,9,26,27]. A large literature on plain packaging of cigarettes, which is not a feasible option in the U.S. due to protections for commercial speech under the First Amendment, finds that plain packaging changes consumer perceptions [28].…”

“…Tobacco industry documents show careful attention to how cigarette pack design can be used to influence consumers [8,9]. There are clear examples of how cigarette pack design changes have shifted population distributions of smokers.…”

Adolescent and Young Adult Perceptions on Cigar Packaging: A Qualitative Study

“…This is known as “sensation transference,” in which the sensations derived from the packaging are attributed to the product itself, a common marketing strategy used by the tobacco companies to manipulate sensory perceptions. 37 The current findings indicate that words and images that depict flavors, as well as colors associated with flavors on cigar packaging are appealing. These findings are consistent with the literature indicating that flavored tobacco use among adolescents is high; 42.4% of adolescent tobacco users reported using flavored cigars.…”

“Their Packaging Has Always Been Like a Power”: A Qualitative Study of U.S. Smokers’ Perceptions of Cigarette Pack Visual Design Features to Inform Product Regulation

“…The visual design of cigarette packaging conveys brand identity and information about the product to consumers [ 1 , 2 ]. The impact of package design is well established in marketing, graphic design, and studies of food packaging [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]; it is also clear in tobacco industry documents [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Changes to design elements of cigarette packaging (e.g., color, type, logos) can alter consumption among different groups by targeting specific subpopulations (e.g., women [ 10 ] and adolescent girls [ 11 ]).…”

“…Changes to design elements of cigarette packaging (e.g., color, type, logos) can alter consumption among different groups by targeting specific subpopulations (e.g., women [ 10 ] and adolescent girls [ 11 ]). Internal tobacco industry research shows cigarette packaging changes are designed to influence consumption patterns by making certain products more appealing to specific consumer groups in ways that can increase profits [ 6 , 7 , 12 ].…”