Tobacco industry marketing adaptations to Singapore plain packaging

Abstract

BackgroundSingapore has implemented plain packaging, a measure that strips all colours, logos and branding elements from tobacco packs. In other countries, tobacco companies responded to plain packaging with a variety of marketing tactics. Our goal was to describe the tobacco industry’s marketing adaptations to Singapore plain packaging.MethodsQualitative analysis of 378 cigarette packs sampled from Singapore retailers in March 2019, March 2020 and January 2021, 12 months prior to, 2 weeks prior to and 6 months after plain packaging phase-in, respectively. For each pack, we collected descriptive information on the brand and variant name, pack and stick dimensions, pack shape, differentiating features and distinctive scents, as well as photographic data of the pack, cigarette sticks and any distinct features. We used the March 2019 collection as our baseline dataset, and March 2020 and January 2021 collections as comparison datasets to examine changes in tobacco marketing strategies just before and after plain packaging phase-in.ResultsAround Singapore’s plain packaging phase-in, tobacco companies launched variants with flavour capsules, novelty filter features and new flavours and used more descriptive variant names reflecting the variant’s colour coding or market positioning. Tobacco companies revamped some existing variants, often with Japanese marketing themes to convey a more premium product image. After plain packaging, tobacco companies used longer packs and variations in stick length, filter length and foil texture to further differentiate products.ConclusionsFollowing plain packaging in Singapore, tobacco companies rely increasingly on nomenclature and the cigarette stick itself to market and differentiate products.

Marketing of flavour capsule cigarettes: a systematic review

“…A total of 40 articles, published between 2009 and 2021, were included in the review (table 1). Article types varied and included 17 full manuscripts,10 24–39 4 brief reports,40–43 4 conference abstracts,44–47 2 reports,1 48 7 ‘industry watch’ publications,2 3 49–53 2 ‘ad watch’ publications,54 55 3 special communications20 56 57 and 1 research letter 58. Nine studies examined FCV marketing elements globally/generally or did not specify countries,1–3 28–30 32 34 46 50 while other studies investigated specific countries including: Argentina,45 48 Australia,56 Bangladesh,27 43 Bolivia,45 48 Brazil,27 43–45 48 Canada,41 58 Chile,45 48 China,27 38 43 Egypt,43 Guatemala,40 Lithuania,31 India,27 43 Indonesia,24 27 43 44 Japan,31 54 Malaysia,51 Mexico,10 35 43 47 New Zealand,42 Pakistan,43 Peru,45 48 the Philippines,26 27 43 44 the Republic of Korea,31 33 54 55 the Russian Federation,27 43 44 Singapore,37 Switzerland,31 Thailand,27 43 44 Turkey,43 Ukraine,43 the UK,20 39 49 52 53 57 the USA,31 35 36 Uruguay25 and Vietnam 27 43 44…”

“…Regarding study methodology, 15 studies performed a content analysis of cigarette packs1 24 26 33–35 37 41 45 46 50 55 56 58 and/or sticks33 37 41 43 46; 4 studies conducted a content analysis of retail stores25 40 47 48; 18 studies reviewed tobacco industry documents (eg, internal, reports, trade/retail press, ingredient lists), and/or observed the retail environment and/or examined the commercial market data (eg, market portfolio, brand variants, price)1–3 20 29–32 34 39 42 49 52–57; 3 studies conducted a content analysis of print and/or online tobacco advertising and marketing information28 36 38; and 1 study used a cross-sectional survey design10 (table 1).…”

“…Offered by all transnational tobacco companies by multiple brand owners, in several brand variants, across many countries globally 1–3 20 27 32 35 37 41 42 44 55–58…”

“…Comes in many flavours and forms (eg, different flavoured capsules in same stick) 2 3 24 27 31 35 37 39 44 45 56 57…”

Evaluating the public health impact of partial and full tobacco flavour bans: A simulation study

“…In countries that attempted to pass a full flavours ban, tobacco companies have lobbied aggressively to dilute the regulation to a partial ban, excluding menthol, 36 , 37 as the majority of flavoured smokers then switch to menthol-flavoured cigarettes. 5 , 18 , 19 In Singapore, 38 as in many other countries, 6 cigarettes containing non-menthol flavours often take the form of capsule cigarettes, and also contain menthol flavours which may facilitate switching to menthol capsule variants not covered by a partial ban. Tobacco companies have, in other countries, encouraged such switching by using the same colour codes and design features to point current smokers to ‘replacement’ variants not covered by the ban.…”