FEAR APPEAL IMPACT IN CIGARETTE PACKAGES: SMOKERS’ PERCEPTIONS RELATED TO ANTITOBACCO WARNING MESSAGES

• Autor(a) principal: Mota, José Roberto
• Data de Publicação: 2013
• Outros Autores: Acevedo, Cláudia Rosa, Prado, Rejane Alexandrina Domingues Pereira do, Carneiro da Cunha, Julio Araujo, Silva, Marli Auxiliadora da
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Eletrônica de Ciência Administrativa
• Texto Completo: http://www.periodicosibepes.org.br/index.php/recadm/article/view/1506
• topic: Tobacco; Anti-smoking messages; Social Marketing; Regulation of tobacco; Tabaco; Mensagens antitabagismo; Marketing Social; Regulação de tabaco

In Brazil, antismoking images with health warnings are disclosed in cigarette packages since 2001, being used as the emotional persuasion to smokers. However, fear is an emotional response to a threat and different people may have different perceptions and reactions to this appeal. So, it was investigated in this exploratory study the perceptions of Brazilian smokers in relation to images of warnings related to free smoking existent in the country. These initiatives are based on fear appeal and using warnings at cigarette packages with themes explored in anti-smoking campaigns. The results of in-depth interviews with 35 smokers, men and women from the city of São Paulo, with ages ranging from 20 to 65, indicated that the messages that will affect smokers are those related to cancer and/or involving children. Approximately half of respondents say they prefer to ignore the images that appeal to fear while almost the entire sample confirmed that would think about quitting if they could notice messages that pointed to such benefits. Interviewees perceived the messages are most effective when they intent to produce a set of positive messages and also confirmed that messages endorsed by celebrities who do not smoke would serve as inspiration for the greater encouragement to the decision to smoking stoppage.