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Evidence and arguments on tobacco retail displays:
marketing an addictive drug to children?
George Thomson, Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, Heather
Gifford
In New Zealand, the primary tobacco retailers are the four
main oil companies (Shell, BP, Mobil, Caltex), the two supermarket chains
(Foodstuffs, Progressive Enterprises), and smaller independent convenience
stores.
Every day, thousands of children go into one or more of the
5000 plus retail outlets that feature prominent tobacco
displays,1,2 where they are exposed to an array
of tobacco products. These displays are typically located immediately behind the
sales counter, in full view of customers paying for their purchases.
Health researchers, health professionals, and others in many
countries have raised concerns about these displays, which they believe
undermine restrictions on tobacco promotion, and encourage children to start
smoking.
Because tobacco is an addictive product that kills half of
those who use the product lifelong as intended, the New Zealand Smokefree
Environments Act 1990 banned most advertising and marketing of tobacco
products to ‘reduce the social approval of tobacco use, particularly among
young people.’3 The Smoke-free
Environments Amendment Act 2003 introduced limited restrictions on tobacco
displays in shops, but these measures did not allay public health concerns that
displays functioned as a form of advertising.
In response to these concerns, and to a Ministry of Health
discussion document on retail displays,4 a
group named Stay Displays developed a website that first appeared in November
2007. The site states that retailers ‘have joined together to inform
retailers about this important issue.’5
To date, investigations have not been able to reliably identify the website
funders.6
Currently, the New Zealand government is analysing
submissions on proposals to further restrict or ban display of tobacco products
in retail settings.4 A
complete display ban would mean that shoppers would only see the products when
they were handed to a customer. This article discusses some of the arguments for
and against bans of tobacco displays in shops.
The public health arguments—the dangers from tobacco displaysInternational evidencePreliminary findings from a systematic review of the
evidence of the impact of point of sale (PoS) tobacco marketing found that
although there were some limitations in the evidence, most of the eight
published quantitative studies support an association between PoS marketing
(including displays), and smoking susceptibility, experimentation, and uptake
among children.7
Recent US quantitative studies have documented these
associations, using a variety of measures of exposure to PoS displays and
advertising.8,9 In a particularly strong study,
Feighery et al investigated the relationship between smoking-related outcomes
and exposure to PoS displays and advertising using four different measures of
exposure among 11–14 year old children in California. They found
statistically significantly increased odds (adjusted ORs
1.46–2.01) of ever smoking for all four measures of exposure, and
increased odds (adjusted ORs 1.31 to 1.64) of smoking susceptibility
among never-smokers for three out of four measures of exposure. The results were
adjusted for demographic factors, smoking by family and friends, and amount of
unsupervised time.10
Australian and US research in experimental settings
indicates that the high visibility of tobacco products in retail outlets also
normalises tobacco use for children, by increasing their perceptions of the
prevalence of smoking among peers and adults, and creates the perception that
cigarettes are easily obtainable in these
stores.11–13
Evidence about the impact of PoS advertising and displays on
established smokers is more limited. However, a recent study of Australian adult
smokers found that most reported noticing tobacco PoS displays ‘often or
more frequently’; a quarter ‘sometimes or more often’ reported
buying cigarettes due to seeing PoS displays; and 31% thought that removal of
PoS displays would help them quit.14
The research evidence is supported by the findings of
reviews of formerly secret tobacco industry documents which reveal that the
tobacco industry uses PoS tobacco displays to recruit new smokers, retain
existing ones and cue impulse purchases.15,16
This documentary evidence is supported by the industry’s investment in PoS
promotion, particularly in countries where other forms of advertising and
marketing are restricted or
banned.14,16–18
New Zealand evidenceQuantitative evidence on the impact of PoS displays on
children is not yet available from New Zealand, though some data collection is
underway. However, there is no reason to believe that the impact will differ
from findings reported in other countries. Recent evidence reveals that the
current partial restrictions in New Zealand on tobacco displays are widely
ignored; 64% of stores in a recent survey breached at least one PoS regulation.
Stores in areas with a high proportion of children were more likely to display
tobacco products nearby children’s
products.2
We conducted 20 qualitative interviews in 2007 with New
Zealand ex-smokers, and smokers who had made a recent quit attempt. All had been
smokers in the previous 8 months. They were recruited from Quitline users and
from local networks in the Manawatu and Whanganui
regions.19
The findings suggest that displays were both very salient
(one of the first things noticed on entering a store) and a source of
temptation.19 Participants indicated they would
strongly support a government initiative to ban retail displays, because they
thought this would increase the likelihood that children would stay smokefree
(as well as removing temptation for those trying to quit smoking).
Having experienced the difficulty of multiple quit attempts,
participants were adamant that they did not want their children and
grandchildren to take up smoking:
They don’t have to be
on display, even if you smoke, you know you can get them there...I would
probably be thinking more about my grandchildren...and [them] not being able
to...see them’
I don’t think
it’s right that those cigarettes are where they are...that children should
be exposed to cigarettes...I don’t think it’s something that should
be put in front of them.’19
These findings support the public health arguments for
restricting or banning tobacco displays in shops. They also substantiate claims
that displays are an effective form of tobacco marketing that imply smoking is
widespread (particularly to children), and encourage experimentation and smoking
uptake. The findings also suggest that those who have quit smoking find displays
tempt them to start smoking again. However, while the public health evidence is
clear and growing in strength, retailers and the tobacco industry have argued
against further display restrictions. These arguments focus on the alleged
economic implications and moral arguments. We turn now to explore these
issues.
Retailer and tobacco industry argumentsPro-display arguments worldwide were analysed; these
arguments were sourced from tobacco industry documents, media coverage, trade
and official websites, and official and parliamentary documents (including
industry submissions). Five health advocates and five officials (from Australia,
Canada, and Ireland) were also interviewed to explore the industry and health
arguments advanced in those countries.20 Five
main arguments against tobacco retail restrictions were
identified.20
Argument 1: Financial losses for retailersA principal argument against restrictions is that retailers
would suffer financial losses resulting from reduced sales, and reduced sales
incentives from tobacco companies. In addition, retailers argue they would incur
capital costs needed to create new enclosures for tobacco products.
Because some small retailers in New Zealand depend on
tobacco products for about 40% of their revenue, and up to a quarter of their
gross profits, some retailers have argued that display restrictions would reduce
the viability of their business.21 However,
overseas experience indicates that tobacco display bans have had little short
term effect on store profitability.
Retail display bans have been implemented in Iceland (2001)
and Thailand (2005). The Canadian province of Saskatchewan adopted a ban in
2002, but allowed displays during court appeals from October 2003, before
re-imposing the ban in January 2005. Five other Canadian provinces and
territories have banned displays since August 2005—and bans are planned in
further Canadian provinces as well as in
Ireland22 and the Australian state
Tasmania.23
In Canada, retailers predicted their profits would be
eroded.21–24 However, the evidence
reveals that any initial financial impacts resulting from tobacco display bans
were minor, even for small stores reliant on tobacco sales. Crucially, payments
made by tobacco companies to retailers have continued beyond the introduction of
display bans.17,24pp.11–12
In 2006, the director of the Western Convenience Stores
Association stated that the Saskatchewan display ban ‘has not impaired
sales’.25p.51 The spokesperson of
Rothmans Benson & Hedges (one of Canada’s top three tobacco companies)
reportedly said ‘I do not believe the display ban will have a significant
effect on total sales’.25p.51
Prevalence and consumption data indicate that Saskatchewan
tobacco sales fell only slightly more than national sales, during
2000-2005.26,27 This is predictable from a
marketing perspective, since changes in smoking experimentation, initiation and
addiction will only be evident over several years, during which time retailers
will have had many opportunities to diversify their product range.
As in New
Zealand,28–30 the Canadian tobacco
industry makes payments to retailers. In the July–December period before
the Saskatchewan 2002 ban, the total payments for a 6-month period were over
$C800,000; this reduced to $C450,000 for July–December 2002. However, the
payments increased to $874,000 for the same period in 2004 (when displays were
permitted, pending the court ruling), and did not drop significantly after the
resumption of the ban in January
2005.24pp.11–12
Tobacco company reports to Health Canada show that annual
payments to Saskatchewan retailers from tobacco companies dropped only 3%
between 2004 and 2005, and then 8% between 2005 and
2006.17 These figures imply that tobacco
companies are now paying retailers to handle and sell their products,
rather than to display them. From a marketing point of view, this explanation is
logical, since tobacco companies will want retailers to maintain the same range
of brands and brand variants as they did prior to the display ban.
While retailers’ anxieties about display bans are
understandable, the available evidence does not support their concerns. Because
tobacco companies depend on their products being widely available, they will
have strong (and continuing) incentives to assist retailers to change their
storage systems, as this will help ensure the on-going availability of their
brands. For the same reasons, they are likely to continue to provide payments
and services to retailers.
Evidence from Canadian provinces (that have moved from
displays to enclosed storage) suggests that New Zealand retailers:
Argument 2: Economic disadvantages for small storesSmall retailers in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada have
argued that the introduction of display regulatory measures would particularly
disadvantage them.21,31,32p.47 In 2003, one New
Zealand trade report noted, ‘Behind the uneasiness felt by small retailers
[about new display restrictions] is a fear that they will lose money and perhaps
be forced to close their source of
livelihood’.31 In 2004, British American
Tobacco New Zealand (BATNZ) suggested that the demands of the new 2003
legislation ‘will impact on the little owner/operator who doesn’t
have much display space’.32
Arguments about disproportional disadvantage to small
retailers have suggested that they would lose sales, since smokers could not be
sure they would stock tobacco products, or a full range of tobacco brands. As a
result, smokers would be more likely to purchase from supermarkets or service
station chains, where they could arguably be more certain that tobacco products
would be available. This argument suggests smaller retailers would have reduced
profits, which could result in their demise.
Business failures would increase unemployment and reduce the
services available in the suburban and rural areas where smaller retailers are
located. The New Zealand website Stay Display sums up the perceived problem:
‘A ban would distort free competition because consumers could perceive
bigger retail outlets have a wider range of products...[and] could easily result
in less income for smaller, locally owned retailers, many of who already
struggle and work very hard to keep their businesses
viable’.21
However, evidence from Saskatchewan reveals that small
stores have adjusted to display bans without suffering the adverse effects
outlined above. In August 2002, the six Health Canada tobacco enforcement
officers in Saskatchewan reported they had found ‘minimal cost to
retailers’ from compliance; no stores had closed and no staff had been
laid off.’33 Similarly, the Saskatchewan
Coalition for Tobacco Reduction reported in April 2005 that the costs retailers
had incurred from the introduction of the display ban appeared to be minimal.
They also reported that no stores had closed as a result of the display ban, and
found no evidence that staff had been laid
off.34
Logically, a display ban would simplify compliance for small
shops, particularly when compared to the current situation, where small shops
are less knowledgeable about their obligations, typically less compliant, and
therefore at greater risk of prosecution.2,31 A
ban on tobacco displays would reduce the current burden of interpreting and
applying complicated rules relating to the siting and size of tobacco displays,
and would minimise the risks of non-compliance.
Argument 3: Tobacco is a normal product. ‘Legal to sell, legal to display’Some retailers argue that tobacco is a ‘normal’
and ‘legal’ product, and thus display restrictions are
unjustified.35 This argument extends to a
related claim, that tobacco retailers are responsible and legitimate businesses
that should be allowed to continue operating in a ‘responsible’
manner.
Tobacco products differ from other consumer products, which
typically are neither addictive nor fatal to around half those who use them
long-term. Tobacco thus has more in common with inherently dangerous products
such as ammunition and some pharmaceuticals, than it does with the consumer
goods alongside which it is sold. Dangerous products are subject to considerable
controls; for example, many pharmaceuticals and chemicals in New Zealand are
stored securely and out of sight from retail customers in shops.
The New Zealand Government has recognised the dangerous and
addictive nature of tobacco products and explicitly aims to reduce smoking
initiation by imposing controls on marketing and
advertising.36 Although controls now cover
tobacco advertising, sponsorship, and price promotions, tobacco retailing is (by
comparison) under-regulated and thus has the potential to undermine government
efforts to improve health.
Consumers, particularly children, appear to be inadequately
protected from the effects the displays. The adoption of the precautionary
principle suggests that restrictions on tobacco retail displays are justifiable
and necessary.
Argument 4: Lack of evidence for effectiveness of display bansA common argument against proposed regulation is that there
is a ‘lack of evidence’ about the health gains that will result.
Variations on this argument include assertions that displays have no effect on
anyone but smokers (only affect choice of tobacco product brand and not overall
consumption), do not affect children, do not increase sales, and do not
constitute ‘advertising’.24,35,37
The New Zealand website Stay Display states:
There is currently no
reliable evidence showing a ban would be effective – There is no proven
link between tobacco displays and reduced levels of smoking, particularly among
youth...The display itself has no real effect on people’s buying
patterns...Similar bans are already in place in other countries, including
Canada and Iceland. It is too early to say if it works, but early evidence
suggests it does not.’21
These arguments are inconsistent with the research evidence
detailed above for the impact of PoS displays on smoking among children. The
notion that PoS displays only affect brand choice is difficult to reconcile with
evidence from Australia that adult smokers either never (90%) or rarely (4%) use
retail displays to decide which cigarette brand to
purchase.38 These arguments are also
inconsistent with retailers’ concerns that they will lose sales following
the introduction of display bans (see Argument 1). They are also contradicted by
tobacco company documents, which clearly explain the important role retail
displays play in their marketing
strategies.16–18
The Stay Display claims are at odds with tobacco
companies’ use of retail displays to increase impulse
purchases.39 For example, BAT’s
‘Project Insight’ included research on impulse buying and associated
shop layouts.40 New Zealand evidence also
documents payments that tobacco companies have made to retailers to maximise
display effects.28–30
Overall, the “lack of evidence” argument is
logically flawed on several grounds, not least of which is the retail
industry’s concern over lost sales. Within the wider marketing and
retailing literature, the importance of retail displays in promoting purchase
has been well documented.41–43
Suggestions that retailing principles known to apply to other products may not
apply to tobacco products appear to lack logic, credibility, and empirical
support.
Argument 5: Staff safety and product securityRetailers have also argued that the
‘distraction’ of using out-of-sight tobacco storage would increase
in-store theft and pose greater risks to staff. The New Zealand website Stay
Display suggests that a display ban could cause ‘a higher risk of
shoplifting. If we have to spend longer turning our backs on customers, we
believe the shoplifting rate will
increase.’21
We suggest that a display ban can reduce theft and
risks to staff. If products are stored under the counter rather than in large
displays behind the counter, the time spent by shop assistants with their backs
turned to customers would be reduced rather than increased. A display
ban could also reduce opportunities for theft of tobacco products, as these
would be less accessible and visible.
The Saskatchewan Coalition for Tobacco Reduction reported in
April 2005 that there had been no thefts due to the display ban
there.34 Furthermore, eliminating tobacco
displays would increase the external visibility of in-store activities, thus
providing an additional safety benefit.
The views of retailers in New ZealandThere is currently little evidence that the views held by
Stay Display advocates are shared by other retailers, and this question requires
further examination before widespread retailer opposition can be assumed.
Initial data from in-depth qualitative interviews with three
senior managers from New Zealand retail organisations, and four current or
former owners or managers of local convenience stores and dairies, suggests some
awareness that tobacco displays encourage children to smoke:
[A display ban would] be bad
for cigarette companies...[but] good for the people that are young and
impressionable, that are thinking of smoking. If they don’t see it then
they probably won’t think about it the
same.44
None of the interviewees strongly supported selling tobacco,
but many saw it as either an economic imperative, or were neutral, viewing it as
similar to other products. One senior manager described tobacco as a
‘sunset’ category, which was in permanent decline:
...the sooner that we can
stop selling tobacco then the better...we are actually doing a disservice to our
consumers by advocating tobacco in the fact that we are selling
it.’44
Although the level of support for further restrictions on
retail tobacco displays was mixed, we found no evidence of unanimous opposition
to display bans.44
So what sort of regulation is needed for tobacco retailing in New Zealand?The tobacco industry has a well-documented history of
circumventing regulatory initiatives, and evolving new marketing efforts in
response to controls. Because of this, a display ban needs to be part of a
comprehensive, planned, and timetabled tobacco control strategy. This should
include visually informative warnings, and plain packaging for tobacco
products.45
A complete display ban should ensure that tobacco products
cannot be displayed in retail or other commercial areas, or be seen by any
consumers when storage areas are opened. Products should only be visible when
handed to customers after the sale has concluded. Regulations should also ensure
that closed storage containers for tobacco products cannot be used for other
tobacco marketing purposes, such as brand positioning via colours, lighting, or
shapes.
We suggest that a ban on tobacco displays would be more
effective if complemented by a requirement that tobacco retail outlets display
large and effective health warnings that clearly communicate the risks of
smoking. A start to this would be the display of large government-designed
graphic health warnings (we suggest at least 1 square metre in size). Such
warnings would need to include the Quitline telephone number, be at eye height,
immediately next to the point of purchase, and completely unobstructed.
Another complementary ‘best practice’ measure
would be the licensing of tobacco retailers.46
The advantages of retailer licensing have been summarised
as:
Introducing
regulations to ban tobacco displays also provides a rare and important
opportunity to improve other aspects of tobacco retailing. The supply of tobacco
where alcohol is served presents a particular danger to smokers trying to
quit.48,49 The new legislation should therefore
prohibit tobacco sales in licensed premises; the Quebec and Nova Scotian tobacco
retailing laws provide exemplars of this.22,50
In summary, national and international research evidence
suggests point of sale displays influence smokers and non-smokers, particularly
children. Arguments from retailers and retail lobby groups have not successfully
countered this evidence, or challenged empirical findings from public health
researchers. Indeed, detailed analyses of retailers’ arguments reveal
these are contradictory and flawed, and unsupported by actual experience from
international jurisdictions.
New Zealand has an opportunity to create retail environments
that better support smokefree living as a norm to those most vulnerable to
marketing manipulation: children. New Zealanders can help protect children from
addictive drugs, by encouraging government to require tobacco-free shop
displays.
In addition, New Zealand also has a legal duty to
‘undertake a comprehensive ban of all tobacco...promotion’ within 5
years of its January 2004 ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control (FCTC).51(s.13.2) The evidence
indicates that retail displays fulfil an important role in continuing to promote
tobacco in New Zealand. So to honour the FCTC obligations, the displays need to
be gone by January 2009.
Competing interests: Edwards and
Thomson have previously worked for NGOs and the Ministry of Health on tobacco
control issues.
Author information: George Thomson, Senior
Research Fellow, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington;
Janet Hoek, Professor, Department of Marketing, Massey University, Palmerston
North; Richard Edwards, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health,
University of Otago, Wellington; Heather Gifford, Senior Research Officer,
School of Public Health & Psychosocial Studies, AUT University,
Auckland
Acknowledgements: Funding for some of the
work involved came from the Cancer Society of New Zealand and ASH New Zealand,
and this research would not have been possible without the generosity of time
and the candid statements of the interviewees, which are much appreciated.
Thanks also to Louise Delany for her helpful comments and suggestions on a draft
version, and the anonymous NZMJ reviewers for their very constructive
comments.
Correspondence: George Thomson, Department
of Public Health, University of Otago, Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand.
Fax: +64 (0)4 3895319; email: george.thomson@otago.ac.nz
References:
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