Death of a salesman

First paragraph: In December 2012 Australia became the first jurisdiction to mandate plain (or standardised) packaging for tobacco products. Many governments have been looking on with interest, anxious to learn if this is also the next step forward in their own efforts to tackle the harms caused by tobacco. This special issue begins to answer this question by presenting a series of studies which provide an initial evaluation of the policy. What have been the early impacts of plain packaging on young people and adult smokers? And are there any unintended consequences—has it reduced prices, for instance, or encouraged illicit tobacco use

Why corporate power is a public health priority

First paragraph: The work of Professor Richard Doll provides two key lessons for public health. The first, that we must do all we can to eradicate the use of tobacco, has been well learnt and is being energetically acted upon. The second, more subtle learning-that our economic system has deep flaws-remains largely ignored. And yet, lethal though tobacco is, the harm being done to public health by our economic system is far greater

“They'll drink bucket loads of the stuff”: an analysis of internal alcohol industry advertising documents

As part of its 2009 investigation into the conduct of the UK alcohol industry, the House of Commons Health Select Committee obtained access to internal marketing documents from both producers and their advertising agencies. These reveal major shortcomings in the current self regulatory codes covering alcohol advertising. Specifically, the codes do not, as they are supposed to, protect young people from alcohol advertising; prevent the promotion of drunkenness and excess; or the linking of alcohol with social and sexual success. Nor do they even attempt to address sponsorship, and the documents show this is being systematically used to undermine rules prohibiting the linking of alcohol with youth culture and sporting prowess. Finally, the codes are extremely weak in their treatment of new media which are rapidly become the biggest channel for alcohol promotion. The result is a regulatory system that is impossible to police and vulnerable to exploitation

Alcohol marketing: Grooming the next generation

First paragraph: If protecting children from harm is the hallmark of a civilised society, the United Kingdom is failing the test when it comes to alcohol marketing. A new analysis conducted by the RAND Corporation for the European Commission shows that British regulatory structures are so flawed that teenagers, far from being shielded from alcohol promotion, are more exposed to it than are adults.1 It shows, for example, that 10-15 year olds in the UK see 10% more alcohol advertising on TV than their parents do. Even more shocking, when it comes to the specific sector of alcopops, they see 50% more.Output Type: Editoria

Putting social marketing into practice

Social marketing is acquiring a familiar ring to people in the health sector. The UK government's recent public health white paper talks of the "power of social marketing" and "marketing tools applied to social good [being] used to build public awareness and change behaviour." This has led to the formation of the National Social Marketing Centre for Excellence, a collaboration between the Department of Health and the National Consumer Council. The centre will develop the first social marketing strategy for health in England. Similarly, the Scottish Executive recently commissioned an investigation into how social marketing can be used to guide health improvement. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States all have social marketing facilities embedded high within their health services. Evans has outlined social marketing's basic precepts. We develop some of these ideas and suggest how social marketing can help doctors and other health professionals to do their jobs more effectively

Tobacco corporate social responsibility and fairy godmothers: the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control slays a modern myth

This will not come as a great surprise to many readers, but it turns out that multi-national tobacco companies are not generous, kind-hearted or benevolent, and that any similarity they bear to boy scouts or fairy godmothers is dangerously misleading. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Conference of the Parties (COP), meeting last November in Durban, reminded us of these truths. It recognised that tobacco company corporate social responsibility (CSR), whether in the form of donations to charity, support for good causes or lavishly funded campaigns trumpeting their own virtuous behaviour, is in fact a self seeking marketing tool designed to win friends and influence people. It is as much part of ensnaring new generations of tobacco users as are cowboys and camels. This paper explains how CSR forms part of the tobacco industry‟s wider marketing strategy and, reassuringly, that the FCTC sees CSR for what it is

Tobacco packaging as promotion

Almost twenty years ago it was suggested that restrictions in tobacco advertising would only be partly successful as the ‘pack itself is a powerful form of advertising’. These words have proved prescient as the pack has indeed emerged as the primary marketing tool in jurisdictions with tight marketing controls. In the UK, for instance, following the introduction of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act between 2003 and 2005, which banned all forms of tobacco advertising and promotion, the pack has became the main marketing driver. Moodie and Hastings explain how UK tobacco industry marketing documents from between 1995 and 2000 both predicted the increasing importance of the pack in the face of marketing restrictions and highlighted the different ways the pack can be employed to promote the product, via what they refer to as value, image and innovation (or gimmick) packaging

COVID-19: our last teachable moment

COVID-19 is bringing hardship and tragedy. Health workers are having to take appalling risks; loved ones are being lost; lockdown is causing great distress. And, as always in testing times, the disadvantaged are being hit worst. As we emerge from the shadows, the call from the vested interests, from the systems current winners, will be for a rapid return to business as usual. We must resist this; business as usual got us into this mess. COVID-19 is trying to tell us something; we health educators and social marketers must listen, think and, above all, take action

Tobacco Harm Reduction and Nicotine Containing Products: Research Priorities and Policy Directions

Developments in tobacco harm reduction (HR) and the proliferation of nicotine containing products (NCPs) have important implications for tobaco control (TC). This report sets out a research agenda which will help map and examine these implications

Britain's efforts to reduce smoking are becoming a cash cow for big tobacco

First paragraph: It all began so well. A decade ago a heartfelt concern about the addictiveness of nicotine, and the enormous difficulties this presented for would-be quitters, led to an unprecedented investment in intensive smoking cessation services. Beyond Smoking Kills proudly proclaimed year-on-year increases in funding for stop-smoking services and the establishment of centres throughout the country. Access this article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/britains-efforts-to-reduce-smoking-are-becoming-a-cash-cow-for-big-tobacco-2533