"The theme involves the greater understandings of the larger forces that operate in promoting tobacco. This makes you to understand why the tobacco industry targets teens."

In Sri Lanka 30-50 (daily) deaths occur directly due to the consumption of tobacco and yearly 15000 -20000 Sri Lankans loose their valuable lives because of tobacco use. The tobacco company faces massive challenges in replacing their customers lost due to the tobacco related deaths and reaching out to multiply their market segments. Their target exceeds 50 individuals per day as they reach out to capture a wider segment over which they can boost their supply. A segment which they have wide interests are the teenagers, that serves as potential customers at present and the future.

Public announcement have put forth their concerns, that they do not target youth. But as the industry relies on unethical promotions, they have maintained to target their most lucrative segment – the youth, and their logic of marketing to this segment has been overpowering. Teenagers are the key battleground for the tobacco companies and for the industry as a whole. The industry knows that very few people start smoking in the teenage years and if they can “hook” a youngster early, they could well smoke the brand for life. Also, it is found after 20’s the amount of initiation is feasibly low.

Company Strategies on promoting tobacco products

• Cigarettes are promoted as part of adulthood initiation – an illicit pleasure, which like sex, is one of a few initiations into the adult world. Youngsters’ usually look forward to do things which adults do, e.g. ‘Adults only movie’, but as a consequence of such advertisement, it is the young who gets lured into such movies, in a way to show that they are grown up.

• The company has placed advertisements that are shown as ways of preventing teenagers from quitting. Examples include: Lower age limit – “21 yrs”. These advertisements provoke youngsters to pretend like grown – ups. They know, how to make today’s teen as tomorrow’s regular customer.

• Advertisers set out to equate cigarettes with rebellion, self expression, self confidence, interdependence, freedom, adult identity, masculinity for boys.

• After the act, ‘National Authority of Alcohol and Tobacco Act’, advertisements are event sponsoring such as sport events are legally banned. Yet unethical promotions comes in subtle forms as in promoting through movies, and other sponsored events. Having a keen eye becomes crucial in identifying their unethical promotions, such as:

- Usually the hero (or the most sought out person) in the movie smokes.
- The hero expresses his smoking as a sign of expressing the character of rebellion,
confidence, friendliness, freedom and identity.
- Scenes of smoking are used at all important events in the movie.

• Women are also target in movies to depict the theme of liberalization, power, posh etc.

The industry examines the attitudes, aspirations and life styles of the youngsters and how to exploit them. There is so much evidence to show that sponsorships and advertising had affected kids. Promotions through media are a greater factor in encouraging kids to smoke than peer pressure. On face many initiate smoking due to peer pressure, but there is a hidden hand of the tobacco company which attracts individuals from his or her childhood through various ways familiarizing their products. They introduce their product with adulthood, liberation, fun, togetherness, manliness, independence, sportive, posh, high class, etc….

When the subtle advertising/media promotes a different image, are you curious to know the REAL HARM?

We all understand the health effects of tobacco, the diseases caused by tobacco, but analyzing its real impacts such as the damaging of the outer look or appearance is yet to be analyzed properly. Mainstreaming the critical analysis of the real effects of tobacco use becomes a necessity to make teenagers understand and prevent in the initiation of the use.

• Old looking
• Darken lips,
• Damaged teeth,
• Anger and annoying appearance,
• Wrinkled face
• Sexually impotent…

Usually the first real experience of smoking are:-

• Stinks,
• Cough,
• Tearing,
• Burning feeling…

Even a habitual smoker is

• Stinking and is
• wrinkled
• Sexual impotent

When it is obvious that the use of tobacco brings about ‘old looks’, darkened lips, damaged lips and teeth, wrinkled face and an annoying appearance, what prompts young people to still use it?

Obviously the subtle advertising techniques which entices the innermost feeling of the youngster….

The so called ‘hero’, who is handsome, fair, lovely eyes, sweet face with the onset of an
artistic or romantic temperament, smokes a cigarette in a captivating movie scene. He is handsome – good enough, the girls are attracted towards him, he is sexually enticing …He steals away the attention….

Sure enough if the actor or actress is smoking, he / she cannot be that handsome or beautiful. Evidence has proved that, many actors are hired by the tobacco companies to promote their products, but these actors are not even smokers.

WHO IS FOOLED?

True enough, these scenes captivate the young minds that lure them to such a habit. Yet the intelligent youngster gets away from such subtle advertising because he understands the real impact…that the use of tobacco brings away the opposite of all that shows a sugar coating!

How could he or she remain handsome or beautiful if he used tobacco?
He / She stinks in smoke…how could the opposite sex get attracted?
His rigor is weakened, then how could he be sexually attractive?

Does any youngster whether girl or boy like to spoil their image or appearance at an earlier stage. Discuss with your friends and find out the reality of tobacco which is not the pleasure as it is shown to be.