Tobacco advertising has the potential to significantly increase positive images of brand users and, consequently, increase the likelihood of impulse purchases. Point-of-sale advertising is a marketing technique that places tobacco products on practical and visible shelves, usually self-service, and on displays at points of sale. This type of promotion strengthens the legitimacy of a brand in the eyes of retailers who make sales decisions and directly induces consumption. In the United States, televised anti-smoking commercials are an important component of comprehensive tobacco control programs.
These advertisements may promote smoking cessation, as well as reduce the likelihood of initiation. They can also have a major influence on public support for tobacco control interventions. On the other hand, print advertisements featuring models who smoke can have a negative influence on young people. The debate about the role of advertising in predisposing young people to use tobacco and to use specific brands of tobacco products has been ongoing for some time.
Electronic anti-smoking advertising has been used as part of comprehensive tobacco control programs in several states and communities. The methodology of this study was rigorous and examined adult tobacco use, taking into account the effects on income and the price of tobacco, as well as the effects on health education. In 1971, in the United States, the tobacco industry voluntarily removed all cigarette advertising from radio and television. Transportation systems in several cities and states have eliminated tobacco advertising in their vehicles.
Data suggest that for every 5000 GRP spent by states on anti-smoking advertising over a 2-year period, or approximately two anti-smoking ads per month, the quit rate among adult smokers increased by ~ 10%. The enormous volume of tobacco advertising contributes to the false impression that smoking is regulatory in a wide variety of contexts. In addition, it is difficult to interpret any statistical association between levels of promotion spending and levels of tobacco consumption due to multiple variables that affect perceptions and attitudes towards tobacco consumption. Tobacco advertising and promotion undoubtedly contribute to the multiple and converging psychosocial influences that lead children and young people to start using these products and to become addicted to them.
