Results from Laughery et al. show that when the severity of the potential hazard is substantial (e.g., with birth defects), only explicit information (e.g., "If you drink while you are pregnant, your child may be born with fetal alcohol syndrome and need institutionalization") conveys the severity information adequately. Similarly, Beltramini (1988) has found that cigarette-warning labels noting specific risk outcomes (e.g., lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, fetal injury, premature birth) are significantly more believable than labels suggesting remedial action (e.g., quitting smoking) or harmful contents (e.g., carbon monoxide).
After reading the article, Adolescents attention to beer and cigarette print ads and associated product warnings (Journal of Advertisement 1998); there are several comments that can help us analyze it from different points of view.
The article focuses on the impact of warnings on beer and cigarettes ads, and how young people pay or not pay attention to these, and if there is something involved on the way these warnings are presented within the ad. “YOUNG people see more television commercials for alcoholic beverages than they do for jeans, sneakers or acne creams, according to a new study from a health policy group”( Schwartz, 2002) something very similar occurs with print ads when on magazines or newspapers that are “supposed” to be for a very different type of audience (adults). “The company places so many advertisements in magazines with ''huge youth readerships,'' like Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone,” (Winter, 2002)
There has been lots controversy when it comes to advertisement campaigns and strategies of alcohol and cigarettes, and determining which their target audience is really when you can find ads on different media. But isn’t this purpose of advertising? According to one of many definitions, “Advertising is the non personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.” (Bovée 1992) So we can see that no matter if you are advertising products such as alcohol, cigarettes, cereal, cars or any other product "The only purpose of advertising is to sell. It has no other justification worth mentioning". (Raymond Rubicam). But with these definitions and going back to the social context that alcohol and cigarettes represent in modern society despite the numerous efforts of letting everyone know about the risks and danger of this products, on the test conducted on teenagers mentioned on the article; it clearly shows that “adolescents have substantial interest in smoking and drinking” (Fox, 1998) no matter warnings. Why is that? Do characters such as Joe Camel have anything to? A 1991 survey in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that Joe Camel is as recognizable to 6-year-olds as Mickey Mouse.
If I were the consumer marketing director of one the mentioned brands in the article, I would feel that the major purpose of my strategy inducing or making people to buy my product would be achieving no matter the warnings. If I can get potential consumers to start buying my product at very young age, I would probably be creating brand loyals for a future. Consumers that “already have a maximum awareness of, and a strongly favorable attitude toward our brand” (Rossiter, 1997 p 58) If I can get a child to recognize Joe Camel the same way he recognizes Mickey Mouse, I would already have make a long way towards my selling purpose.
However there is always a counterpart on every argument, looking from a social perspective and based on the facts that alcohol and cigarettes can affect seriously your health; it would not be safe that young people bye this type of products. But how can you do this? Tobacco and Alcohol companies have faced this kind of problem and there has been a lot of legal and social pressure against their strategies and advertising.
Are warnings enough to let know about the risks and dangers? “The warnings are ostensibly designed to make people aware of the adverse effects of smoking on health. However, information provision does not necessarily equate to information impact.” (Fox, 1998) Not always. On the test results that the article mentions we can see that even if this information is printed in the advertisement, it not always is adequate and fulfils its purpose of warning. That is what in many countries if not all, there has been a major concern on the way this companies handle their advertising, and if it reaches young people what other ways or methods can be use to help and prevent early consumption of cigarettes and alcohol.
However we can see that controversy is on, and we can sure analyse from different perspectives the way alcohol and cigarette companies should take care on their advertisement campaigns without loosing their objective of making profit.
As a marketing director of any alcohol and cigarette Company, it is important to understand the “4ps” as the basic responsible which are product, price, promotion and place. Furthermore, the promotion as one of those tools has 4 basic foundation or known as “promotions mix”. There is personal selling, advertisement, sales promotions and publicity or public relations. According to Rossiter and Percy, the ultimate purposes of advertising communications and promotions, and of all other business functions, is to maximize the revenue which is basically consisting of three avenues, increasing selling price, lowering cost and increasing sales volume (1996, pp.26-27). It appears that those avenues are becoming the one of important responsible for marketing directors. Although it seems easily to understand that responsible, but in many times the marketing directors also faces the pressure from social environment. For example, A San Diego judge fined RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. $20 million Thursday after finding that the nation’s No. 2 cigarette maker was targeting teenagers by advertising Camels and other brands in magazines such as In Style, Spin and Hot Rod (, 2002). The successful story of Joe Camel as the cartoon character of spokesperson for the brand to stimulate interest in smoking among adolescent is retired. This success can be found on the campaign that has been tremendously among young people. As a result, Camel’s share of the teenage market grew from 5% to 13% between 1988 and 1992 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1994a, cited in Fox et all, 1998). However, it is very unlikely with what actually the marketing director have to do. The marketing managers, basically just find out the best way to sell the product that ultimately maximize the revenue and profit as well. It is criticize that the marketing director doesn’t have any responsible to the social environment.
There has been many pressure and we can see that looking from a social perspective there still can be done many things to control that advertisement through media reaches young people.
The issues of adolescents’ addiction over cigarettes are still considered to be a vulnerable issue to coupe with. Over the past recent years numbers of adolescents addicted to smoking is has increased, whereas R.J. Reynolds claimed that the indication of the 14-18 years old group is an increasing segment of the smoking population () is considered to be one of key determinants which indicates that teenagers are encourage to smoke by the effect caused by cigarettes advertisements on the media such as television, magazines. But regardless to the fact that cigarette advertisements on media may affect adolescents to consume cigarettes, tobacco companies should try to promote strategies of advertising which would decrease the number adolescents consuming cigarettes. The perspective which is often built by marketing director, views the importance of understanding how a marketing director should necessary focus on the strategy related to advertising and promotions due to the responsibilities and tasks which are regarded as an important role of a marketing director in achieving goals and objectives which is set by the company. Rossiter and Percy stated in which the ultimate purpose of advertising communications and promotions is to maximize profit (1996, pp. 26). However, on other circumstances tobacco companies face many critics by the society, regarding their advertisement efforts to promote their products. In accordance, the recent data collected by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (cited in ) currently tobacco companies spend over
US $ 9.57 billion to promote their products in which most of their marketing efforts directly reach kids. Based on the evidence, it is believed that tobacco advertising which directly viewed by adolescents often, can encourage them to try and consume cigarettes. To decrease the numbers of smoking youth, managers should try to find solutions of how an advertising of the product can still be done without promoting adolescents to smoke. According to Bowker and Hamilton (cited in ), there are few strategies which can be used by cigarette companies in order to advertise their product, and also can prevent the existence of smoking youth. By trying to eliminate the advertisement of tobacco and marketing which directly reach kids by permanently stop advertising in magazines with large shares of youth readership, stop placing externally visible ads near schools and playgrounds, stop brand-name sponsorships of auto racing, and never advertise and sell cigarettes on the internet.
By reducing youth access to tobacco products by requiring tobacco retailers to place tobacco products behind the counter and out of reach, so that kids have to ask to get them, supporting (rather than opposing) efforts to ban cigarette vending machine, and by agreeing never to market cigarettes in “kiddies pack” of less than 20. However, in the practice there is no significant evidence which contributes to the decreasing number of smoking adolescents. But nevertheless, tobacco companies should always try encouraging themselves to establish new strategies of advertisements which will directly effect kids to buy their products. As a marketing director it is important to try to advertise and maximize, but on other circumstances a marketing director should have a social sensitivity on issues which occur amongst the community. Therefore, a marketing director should always try to promote its product, without trying to encourage youth to smoke, in which could be determine by increasing the warnings on the television without trying to advertise their products. Since the presenter of the product is one of a key element in the success campaign of an advertisement, tobacco companies should not try use the character in which could attract the kids as for “Joe Camel” for instance. For advertisement on the magazines, tobacco companies can advertise their products in special thematic magazines which are read by specific readers. However, it is considered more difficult and more costly for tobacco companies to create new strategies without being recognized by specific aged audience and readers, but it is also their social responsibility to reduce the number of smoking adolescents. In compensation governments must also play an important role as for the tobacco companies, in trying to eliminate the numbers of smoking adolescents. The government must try to encourage television productions to reduce the number of tobacco products advertising, by establishing rules which enables tobacco companies to advertise and market their products in the prime time, but in compensation they could advertise their products beyond the prime time. These strategies could play a significant role and be effective in the future if it is done continuously, also commitment which is made by tobacco companies and government are important factor in the campaign to reduce the number of smoking adolescents.
We can see also that alcohol is also one the major problems that we find among teenagers despite the warnings and all efforts that have been made. Also mentioned in the article beer ads are strongly recognized by young people, and we have certainly work out that this companies are also looking to draw more people to buy their products, in this case alcohol. But as mentioned previously, there is always a counterpart and from a social perspective it is very questionable the way advertisement has been use, when, how and to where they have focused as their target.
As a marketing director of a major Beer Company, recent research has proven to me that voluntary cautionary statements do not work on underage youths therefore beer advertisement should not be shown in print ads and on television that may influence this age group.
This is a large and probably financially damaging statement to make given the nature of the alcohol industry relying heavily on marketing as a tool in increasing even maintaining sales. People under the age of 18 are not legally allowed to purchase alcohol, however even the most conservative individual must admit underage drinking of some form does occur. Not only is it a market for us (allow we do not encourage underage drinking) it does exist and account for a small percentage of our sales. Not only is a market for us but people under the age of 18 are our future customers and therefore it is important to develop a favourable brand image with these people.
Given the journal and research conducted has proven that cautionary statements are not effective in either gaining the viewers attention or having an impact on their thought process, it is only ethical to remove any advertising that may influence this market. It is an ethical and social responsibility of all alcohol and tobacco companies to put the community above profit. Underage drinking is a major problem in this country, “Underage drinkers easily obtain alcohol from their homes or get older friends to purchase it.” (Smart 1996), it leads to anti-social behaviour and health risks do not to those consuming the alcohol but those in the immediate vicinity. It also leads to drink driving which is a major social problem and our company is prepared to sacrifice profits to help the community in solving these problems.
The journal article in question uses the Miller lite ad (an American beer low in fat not low in alcohol percentage) and analyses it to provide a preliminary understanding of how well adolescents attend to voluntary cautionary messages in alcohol ads. Using a Diet Coke ad as a point of reference with both ads having limited graphic material placed on a plain white background in the lower right corner containing information in small print. “Using McNemar’s test tracking the pupils of the respondents eye , the percentage of participants who fixated on the Miller lite voluntary cautionary statement was significantly lower than the percentage who fixated in the comparable area in the diet coke ad, 84% versus 64%, hence the cautionary statement attracted less attention than a miniature of a well known trademark.” (Fox et al., 1998). Therefore, it is proven to an extent that this cautionary statement is not effective enough in gaining the attention of the youths in question.
Furthermore, it is not only print ads but probably more so television advertisements that encourage underage drinking. Therefore, action also must be taken to reduce the impact of alcohol advertising on underage people in television given the impact television has on our youth. Since it has been proven (to an extend) that “High school students spend more time viewing advertising for a beer brand than they spent viewing advertising for a popular soft drink brand.” The problem is how to counteract this dilemma in the industry as a whole. Should relevant authorities ban alcohol advertising, regulate when it can be seen, modify the way cautionary statements are made or self impose regulations regarding when and how alcohol advertisements are shown.
The possibility of banning alcohol advertising would not only enrage alcohol producing industry and related industries but also the media industry would lose a huge customer. Therefore the alcohol industry and the media industry would be completely against this move and the backlash to such a move would be to large to justify without significantly more research undertaken on the subject. Therefore, this extreme step is unlikely in the near future.
The possibility of regulating the times and media upon which the alcohol advertisement would be shown is an alternative worth considering especially since “Since most people under the age of 18 (legal consent for alcohol consumption in Australia) watch TV and young people ages 12-18 average about 3 hours of TV viewing per day (AC Neilson CO., 1986), also correlational research has found that exposure to alcohol advertising is associated with pro-alcohol consumption expectancies and greater alcohol consumption among youth” (Slater et al, 1996). Given these facts and further research into the target audience and actual viewing audience of television shows, alcohol advertisements should be restricted to TV shows with a major majority of the audience over the age of 18. This can be undertaken through market research or simply purchasing this information from companies such as AC Neilson and/or ABS.
Cautionary statements, according to the journal article in question are seen to be ineffective in capturing the target audiences’ attention and thus need to be changed to be more effective. This can be achieved possibly via changes to the size of the ad, changes to the layout, wording, colouring etc, and/ or all of the above. The cautionary statements have to be made to grab the youth’s attention otherwise they are simply ineffective and useless. This step is a must in the fight to reduce underage drinking; the cautionary statements must be made to a legal standard in size and quality of message. A committee could be put in place with representatives from the community, government and alcohol producing industry, to create these cautionary messages with funding provided from the alcohol industry.
Probably the best and most effective solution is the self imposing of regulations by the industry on the industry. These regulations can be concerning the actual cautionary warning (that is, the size, layout, wording, etc), the programs and media upon which the ads can be shown and the timing of the ads. These self imposed regulations could be suggested to major companies via an outside source or created via a focus group of industry leaders, government officials, companies and community stakeholders similar to the committee proposed above.
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