Why Marketing Doesn't Stop Girls From Smoking
Why Marketing Doesn't Stop Girls From Smoking
I was talking with someone on the weekend and they were of the view that marketing is pretty ineffective in stopping people from smoking.His thinking was that despite all of the anti-smoking marketing, people still take up smoking. The largest increases are in the number of girls/young women taking up cigarette smoking.
And when you think about it, there is tons of anti-smoking marketing and absolutely minimal smoking advertising. And most of us are well aware of the dangers of smoking.
So why doesn't the marketing work?
The Marketing Doesn't Work Because It's Not Strong Enough
That's right, the anti-smoking marketing doesn't work because it's not strong enough to beat the pro-smoking marketing.
Why People Take Up Smoking
1. Because marketing works. The marketing that gets people smoking is peer group pressure (a kind of word of mouth). As anyone who has ever been a kid knows, this is an incredibly powerful pressure.
2. Family influences - the child sees a parent smoking and emulates them. (Some say this is a genetic thing caused by the "Stupid Gene".)
To read studies on the uptake of smoking click here and here.
Like I said in this post, marketing works. And marketing isn't just a newspaper ad. Marketing can be a whole range of influences.
Cheers
Brendon
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