INTRODUCTION Through packaging and marketing, the tobacco industry (TI) is able to increase the appeal of its products and reduce the effectiveness of health warning labels (HWLs). Based on scientific evidence and the principles of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), ANVISA, the Brazilian surveillance and regulatory agency, conducted a process to implement new regulations at the point-of-sale (POS), including a display ban, and new parameters to HWLs. In order to prevent the regulation from entering into force, the TI strategically used several approaches. The objective of this study was to analyze the approaches used by the TI to prevent the implementation of a tobacco display ban and new requirements to HWLs. METHODS In order to identify and describe TI's approaches, we reviewed several sources of documentation, including published articles, reports, legislation, TI documents, and media stories. RESULTS Well-known, reported approaches were used by the TI in order to prevent the implementation of new regulations. These approaches included political interference, litigation, and funding studies to question tobacco control measures as previously reported in Brazil and other countries. CONCLUSIONS Using established approaches, the TI successfully stopped the implementation of a tobacco display ban and new parameters to HWLs in Brazil.

ObjectiveTo investigate the perceptions of young people and adults, smokers and non-smokers about the current set of innovations introduced in 2018 into the Brazilian tobacco products’ health warnings.MethodsTwenty focus groups were conducted in five state capitals in Brazil. The participants (n=163) were segmented by smoking status, age (15–17 years, 18–55 years) and social grade (C, D–E classes) to examine cigarette packaging and explore the participants’ perceptions of health warnings.ResultsHealth warnings capture attention, eliciting apprehension, fear, disgust and concern about the negative consequences of cigarette consumption. The 2018 Brazil health warnings are spontaneously recalled by participants, even without the presence of cigarette packages. However, the analysis also reveals the challenges of overcoming communication barriers and distorted interpretations, especially among smokers. The inclusion of direct and provocative stimuli, such as the use of the word ‘you’, attracts attention and creates more proximity to the recipient of the message. The results also highlight the interest and fear elicited by warnings on toxic constituents and the importance of using contrasting colours in warnings, which differentiate them from the colours of cigarette packs.ConclusionIntroducing innovative components in health warnings can catch consumers’ attention but considering that the interviewees encountered difficulties interpreting textual warnings about toxic constituents in cigarettes, the study reinforces the importance of adopting direct language and pictures, instead of text, which can visually transmit the warning messages and the use of specific wording that generates proximity between the emitter and receiver.