How to use the package in the tobacco products to communicate in the plain pack era

• Author(s): Brandão, Amélia Maria Pinto da Cunha ; Cidade, Jorge ; Alves, Gisela
• Date: 2019
• Origin: International Journal of Marketing, Communication and New Media
• Subject(s): Tobacco packaging;Brand Communication; Marketing decision-makers
• Document Type: Journal article
• Language: English

Description

The aim of this research is to contribute to the emerging literature on the role of packaging of tobacco products, by providing a clearer explanation of what tobacco packaging means in consumer communication. With the recent legislative changes of tobacco products, i.e. communication restrictions affecting the packaging, such as the plain packs, packaging has become a more important tool to communicate with the consumers.  This research intends to understand consumer behavior and explore possible new ways of communication, considering the communication restrictions. It was adopted a qualitative methodology. In this investigation, it was concluded that the packaging is a factor with big impact on consumer choice, particularly in FMCG and plays a key role in brand differentiation at the point of sale. Regarding tobacco product packaging, it was proved that plain packs have negative impact on brand value communication and retailers are a key factor in the communication with consumers.