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Graphic Cigarette Warnings: Absurd or Effective?
October 2, 2008
The UK has introduced a rather interesting plan to try to limit smoking -- put the most hideously disturbing images of smoking’s ill effects on the packaging. Included among the horrific images are pictures of rotting teeth, diseased lungs, and cancer-eaten throats.
Startling stuff indeed. But does that mean it will be effective? Hard to say.
For decades people have been trying to discourage smoking using all kinds of measures ranging from the subtle to the bizarre. And they seem to have little effect over the long term.
One of the most prevalent anti-smoking methods has been simply raise the price of the addiction by heavily taxing the sale of cigarettes. Seems like this would work – if people can’t afford to smoke, they’ll quit, right?
Well, not so fast on that conclusion. Apparently the answer is “yes” … and “no” … and “sometimes.” Turns out the whole dynamic of smoking is far more complicated than most people realize. A rather interesting blog post, The $20 Pack: Why smokers are happier when cigarettes cost more makes a pretty good case that smoking is far too complex of an addiction for simple measures to have much effect on it.
And as gorily newsworthy as the UK’s new cigarette warnings are, they’re not the first such warnings. Numerous countries around the world enacted such measures years ago. In fact there's a whole web gallery of graphic cigarette warning labels -- dozens of them with similarly grotesque pictures designed to scare people from smoking.
I must confess, I don't know how effective these labels are statistically. But they do seem to take it to the point of absurdity. The fact that people in many countries go right on smoking despite powerful imagery and bluntly factual warnings says a lot about how people feel about smoking.
Apparently it's not something that can be labeled away.
Smoking kills. But it’s something a whole lot of people want to do. So what role should government and packagers have in that?
.
Posted by David Bellm on October 2, 2008 | Comments (4)
In response to: Graphic Cigarette Warnings: Absurd or Effective?
Lance, Hollywood, CA commented:
RE the use of disparaging imagery to limit smoking, perhaps it would be more effective if more companies took to the example of this site(packagingdigest.com), and used the photo of David Duchovny as seen in the rotating banner.
In response to: Graphic Cigarette Warnings: Absurd or Effective?
David Bellm commented:
Ha ha! Agreed! All of us at Packaging Digest got a big laugh out of that same thing. Funny how it appeared right next to this post. Made me not want to take up smoking!
In response to: Graphic Cigarette Warnings: Absurd or Effective?
David J commented:
Dave, again I like your point of view, But, why is it that people in general can't learn from history? I am old enough to remember back when a student driver had to review, "Death on the Highway" a real splatter film. Or view candid shots of auto accidents of the worst sort. Right after viewing that gore I recall jumping into my vintage T-Bird slamming in an 8 track tape of Montrose and burning them up out of the parking lot. Or what about the gross movies and pictures in Phys Ed? Pictures of young men with parts falling off because they had failed to use protection. I can say those slowed me down a bit. At least until the next Saturday Night. Lets face facts. Smokers smoke, speeders speed, and people fool around taking all kinds of risks. Until something happens to that particular person they will continue their bad habits and addictions. So instead of gross pictures, well put Ipecac in each butt! Projectile vomiting every time you light up should do the trick.
In response to: Graphic Cigarette Warnings: Absurd or Effective?
David Bellm commented:
Thanks for your comments. Great examples Dave! Indeed, where will they draw the line on efforts to control people? Historically, scare tactics just don't seem to have any lasting effect on modifying behavior. Might even have the reverse effect -- would smoking be "cool" if it wasn't dangerous? Seems to me that's a lot of its allure. I think these bizarre graphic labels only kill the credibility of government antismoking efforts. It makes them look desperate.