Marketing the Myth of "Light" and "Mild"

Question of the Month
November 2001

Around the world the tobacco industry has sought to alleviate smokers' fears of the health hazards of smoking by promoting "low tar/nicotine" brands. What the industry knows but does not say publicly, however, is that these so-called "light" and "mild" brands are just as unhealthy as "regular" cigarettes. The tar and nicotine levels indicated on the cigarette packet correlate little with the amount of tar and nicotine a smoker actually inhales (thanks to subtle cigarette design changes and altered smoking patterns). "Low tar" does not mean "less tar"!

The deception has deadly consequences. The "light" brands discourage smokers from successfully quitting the habit. And they are often targeted to and popular among women, who are more susceptible than men to certain tobacco-related diseases.

Tobacco control advocates around the world have called for a ban on the terms "light" and "mild" (a proposal that the U.S. delegation to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control opposes). But descriptive words are only one of several strategies that the industry employs to create the impression of "lightness." In anticipation of stronger advertising restrictions, it is already testing alternative marketing methods in some countries. If they prove successful, they will be used to circumvent laws in others.

Question: What marketing strategies does the tobacco industry use in your country/community to imply that certain cigarette brands are "less harmful" than other?

More specifically:

• What names and/or descriptors are used? e.g. "Light," "Mild," "Low tar"
• Does the cigarette pack and related advertisements use a particular color scheme?
• Do cigarette packs bear a numerical labeling system that supposedly correlates with tar/nicotine levels? e.g. 1=mild, 10=regular
• Does advertising associated with the brand make any reference to the cigarette's taste or flavor?
• Are there any other marketing strategies that the tobacco industry uses to differentiate "light" brands from "regular" brands?
• To whom are the "light" brands targeted?

As always, share your answer with your partner if you have one, and send a copy to Essential Action.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES

Recommendations are at:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/archives/releases/2001/cig_discrip_rep1.pdf

The panel urged Canada's Health Minister "to expand his plan to remove the words light and mild from cigarette packs by also requiring plain packaging and banning the printing of tar levels," among other measures.