TY - JOUR
T1 - Use of imagery and text that could convey reduced harm in American Spirit advertisements
AU - Moran, Meghan Bridgid
AU - Pierce, John P.
AU - Weiger, Caitlin
AU - Cunningham, Mary C.
AU - Sargent, James D.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding MBM’s effort is supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) (K01DA037903, PI: MBM). This manuscript was also supported by National Cancer Institute (NCI, R01 CA172058, PI: Messer) and Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (24RT-0036, PI: Messer). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the FDA.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Background In 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to three tobacco companies regarding use of the terms 'natural' and/or 'additive-free' to describe their products, as these terms inaccurately convey reduced harm. Yet, tobacco companies engage in a variety of alternate techniques to attempt to convey the same 'natural' (and thus reduced harm) message. It is critical to monitor these practices to inform regulatory action. Objective To describe the marketing techniques used in Natural American Spirit (American Spirit) ads that could convey a natural and less harmful product image. Methods Trained coders content analysed 142 American Spirit ads from 2012 to 2016. Results In addition to use of the terms 'natural' and 'additive-free', American Spirit ads engage in a variety of other linguistic and iconic techniques that could convey reduced harm, such as references to small, local or organic farming, eco-friendly practices, and plant, farming and other nature-related imagery. Conclusions American Spirit ads use a wide range of marketing techniques to convey a natural product image, which could subsequently communicate reduced harm.
AB - Background In 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to three tobacco companies regarding use of the terms 'natural' and/or 'additive-free' to describe their products, as these terms inaccurately convey reduced harm. Yet, tobacco companies engage in a variety of alternate techniques to attempt to convey the same 'natural' (and thus reduced harm) message. It is critical to monitor these practices to inform regulatory action. Objective To describe the marketing techniques used in Natural American Spirit (American Spirit) ads that could convey a natural and less harmful product image. Methods Trained coders content analysed 142 American Spirit ads from 2012 to 2016. Results In addition to use of the terms 'natural' and 'additive-free', American Spirit ads engage in a variety of other linguistic and iconic techniques that could convey reduced harm, such as references to small, local or organic farming, eco-friendly practices, and plant, farming and other nature-related imagery. Conclusions American Spirit ads use a wide range of marketing techniques to convey a natural product image, which could subsequently communicate reduced harm.
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U2 - 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053251
DO - 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053251
M3 - Article
C2 - 27609781
AN - SCOPUS:84986581678
SN - 0964-4563
VL - 26
SP - e68-e70
JO - Tobacco control
JF - Tobacco control
IS - e1
ER -