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I really LOVE not showing the flashy packaging, that shuts off much of the monkey brain. I'd love to read a study that went into what effect that has on smokers.
In Europe packs are required to have medical photos of their long term effects on the front (black lungs, people hooked up to machines while getting cancer treatment looking like death, that sort of thing). I kinda like that it's displayed prominently in that case. I have no clue if it works, but over all I think there are less smokers now in general, at least in my personal experience. So it might? Who knows...
We have this in Canada too. I see them littered all over the place. Its not terribly effective.
Probably zero effect. Smokers continue smoking regardless of everything thrown at them because it's ridiculously addictive. But you're right, it would be interesting to see the actual data.
Smoking rates in NZ have reduced markedly and this is one of the many actions we've taken as a nation to get the numbers down. I'd think it has an effect thou probably more on reducing uptake
I think it's probably the rising cost and the increased outcast status of smokers that has had the biggest impact. That and vaping being an outstanding cessation method. It's really inconvenient being a smoker now.
Sure. But you said "zero impact".
I also said "probably". Who got who now? Gotcha!
Touché :o)
The ultimate goal is to prevent people from starting. Cessation is a secondary goal, and always has been. Because it’s much much easier to intercept an addiction before it starts.
That’s what this sort of display is trying to do. It’s not going to deter current smokers, because they already know what brand they like. But it will be very effective at stopping new people from starting.
Makes sense.
True, but I think the main point of plain packaging is to prevent people from becoming smokers to begin with.
I dunno. How many people start smoking because they were in the shop and thought "go on then, I'll try some"?
I'd wager most people start in school, taking it up from peer pressure courtesy of that six foot 14 year old with a tash who looks just old enough to buy them at the corner shop, and then keeping that habit up throughout their life.
Maybe it stops people relapsing, but for most smokers you could put them on the other end of a minefield with barbed wire and they'd still want them.
That said, the smokers at work have pretty much all swapped to vaping now, purely out of cost. £15 for a pack of fags is a big ask, when you can get a bunch of disposable dodgy vapes for much less.
As someone who smoked for a long time and quit about 5 years ago, the price is what definitely pushed me to quit.
Honestly, I'd love to see this be the case for all products. The packaging has no effect on the quality of the product. Give me a name, description, and what's in it and let my logical brain only make the decision. I am pretty far away from advertising where possible, but you can't get away from it while shopping, which is likely the place where it has the largest effect.
My only worry would be accidentally fetishizing it. I can say I always wanted to go past the bead door in the movie rental place just to see what was on the other side