How To Find Out If A Shop Is More Popular With An Adolescent

Transcription

1 The extent and type of tobacco advertising at the point of sale during April 2000 in a variety of Melbourne retail outlets Tessa Letcher 131

2 Quit Evaluation Studies No Introduction Most forms of tobacco advertising are banned in Australia. Federal legislation enforced during the 1970s effectively banned direct tobacco advertising on television and radio (Winstanley, Woodward, Walker 1995). Legislation on print media bans was passed in 1989 and bans on cinema, billboard and sponsorship advertising followed, but with certain exceptions. While one response by tobacco companies to these bans was to move to sponsorship of sport, recent amendments to the Commonwealth Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act (TAPA) 1992 ensure that such sponsorship is prohibited from 1 October It has been an anomaly that while there are bans on tobacco advertising in magazines, newspapers, on television, radio and at the cinema, point-ofsale advertising (comprising promotional material displayed where tobacco products are sold in retail outlets) has still been permitted in Victoria. An unfortunate yet predictable consequence of the introduction of partial bans on tobacco advertising has been that tobacco companies have sought to achieve their marketing aims by focusing on areas where advertising has still been permitted, such as the point of sale. This concentration of advertising budgets at the point of sale has resulted in cigarette advertising appearing among soft drinks, sweets and chewing gum in places frequented by children such as milk bars (Winstanley et al. 1995). In a society where popular culture such as cinema depicts smoking in a positive light and at increasingly high levels (Stockwell & Glanz 1997), and young people tend to overestimate the prevalence of cigarette smoking (US Department of Health and Human Services 1994), young people are exposed to tobacco advertising in places such as local shops. This suggests that young people are continually presented with an image of smoking that normalises and glamorises the behaviour so it appears usual, acceptable and appropriate. Point-of-sale advertising can have a significant impact, due in part to the multiple incidental exposures experienced by a wide range of people going about their daily activities (US Department of Health and Human Services 1994). Tobacco company documents indicate that increased market share has been sought through increasing investment in point of sale (Wills, unpub.). Such advertising is permitted under federal legislation, subject to individual state and territory requirements. Where a state or territory does not have relevant legislation, federal restrictions come into force (Commonwealth TAPA 1992). 132

3 Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale Recent changes to legislation in several Australian jurisdictions have resulted in bans or more stringent restrictions on point-of-sale advertising. For example, Tasmania recently introduced a ban on tobacco advertising at the point of sale. The amendments to the Tasmanian legislation were passed early in 2000 with one aim being to reduce the display of tobacco products particularly in areas where they are visible to children (Second Reading Speech Public Health Amendment (Tobacco) Bill 1999). The amendments include restrictions upon the number of cigarette packets that may be shown, and their proximity to confectionery. In addition, a health warning must be displayed at the point of sale. In NSW, all printed tobacco advertisements and promotions of tobacco products are banned at the point of sale. A health warning (including the Quitline number) and a warning about illegal tobacco sales to under-18s must also be clearly displayed. In the ACT, the Tobacco (Amendment) Bill 1999 eliminates point-of-sale advertising, imposes restrictions on the display of tobacco products, and requires the display of a health warning notice. In Western Australia, point-of-sale advertisements may only be located directly adjacent to the tobacco dispensing unit and may not exceed a prescribed maximum size. In addition, half of the area devoted to point-ofsale advertising must be taken up by a prescribed health warning. Several jurisdictions are not as yet subject to further restriction. In South Australia, regulations do not yet prevent point-of-sale advertising. In practice, advertising is allowed adjacent to point-of-sale and no health warnings are required to be displayed. Queensland and the Northern Territory are covered under commonwealth legislation only. The relevant Acts allow tobacco advertising if solely within the boundaries of the shop; if facing the inside of the shop and not displayed on an external door or window; and if visible from the point of sale of tobacco products within the shop. Victoria s Tobacco Act was enacted in The Tobacco (Amendment) Bill 2000 (Vic) was passed by Parliament in May Amongst other changes, all tobacco advertising at the point of sale is banned and only one tobacco display point is permitted. No cartons may be displayed, and the display of only one cigarette packet of each brand variant is allowed. Health warning or smoking cessation signs must be displayed at the point of sale, with the size and specific information on such signs and priceboards to be regulated. The amendments relating to point-of-sale advertising come into effect from 1 July In the United States, there are limited restrictions on the types of tobacco advertising permitted, differing by state. In Massachusetts for example, 133

4 Quit Evaluation Studies No there are no restrictions on tobacco billboard advertising (Office on Smoking and Health 1999). In 1998, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health conducted an observational survey of more than 3000 tobacco vending outlets in 125 cities and towns over a period of three months (Massachusetts Department of Public Health 1998). The study aimed to assess the type and extent of tobacco advertising to which young people are exposed, to determine whether there were any differences in such advertising between areas located near schools compared with other areas, communities of varying demographic background, as well as to compare the extent of tobacco advertising with other storefront advertising. The study found that tobacco advertising comprised just over half (52%) of the advertising observed outside retail outlets. The greatest proportion of tobacco advertising was observed outside convenience stores and petrol stations, where most young people purchase cigarettes, and the brands most heavily advertised were the four most popular brands among youth smokers. The study also found that outlets closer to schools were more likely to display more tobacco advertising per outlet than retailers located further from schools, and were less likely to display signs regarding age or ID requirements for the purchase of tobacco. Levels of external tobacco advertising were also higher in poorer and minority communities. The current research, conducted in Melbourne, was undertaken in view of the National Tobacco Strategy. Developed in association with the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy during the 1990s, the overall goal of the National Tobacco Strategy is to improve the health of all Australians by eliminating or reducing their exposure to tobacco in all its forms (Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care 1999, p.2). One of six key strategy areas identified to address the objectives is reducing the promotion of tobacco: specifically, a reduction in the exposure of the public to messages and images that may persuade them to start smoking, continue to smoke, or to use, or continue to use, tobacco products (ibid. 1999, p.26). In order to achieve this objective, research was required into the extent of point-of-sale advertising in Australia, as well as the consideration of options to reduce or eliminate [point-of-sale] advertising for tobacco products in all jurisdictions (ibid. 1999, p.29). The aim of the current study, conducted by the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer (CBRC) at the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, was to investigate the amount and type of point-of-sale advertising in various types of retail outlets across Melbourne, and whether this varies with the location of outlets relative to secondary schools. 134

5 Design Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale Method One hundred areas were surveyed, 50 selected to represent areas near schools and 50 to represent areas away from schools. To select the areas, fifty secondary schools were selected randomly from all Victorian secondary schools based upon 1998 ABS census data, excluding those located in regional Victoria. Near-school areas were chosen adjacent to the 50 schools, and 50 away from school areas were matched to these. Near-school areas were defined by drawing on a map a radius of 500 metres around the selected school. To choose matched away from school areas, a circle of equal radius was drawn to the west of the border of the near-school circle. If the area to the west of the near circle was inappropriate for the study, a circle was drawn to the north of the school. If this area was also inappropriate, a circle was drawn to the east and, lastly, to the south. An area was considered unsuitable if it contained another secondary school, thereby invalidating it as an away from school area. In addition, an area was excluded if it had few or no streets, a substantial portion of parkland such as a reserve or golf course, or a large area of industrial park or factory grounds, as these areas were unlikely to contain stores selling tobacco. Additional randomly selected schools replaced any schools more than 40km from the CBD, as outlets within Melbourne were the focus of the study. Eight schools were replaced for this reason or because the school was located within 500 metres of another selected school. Fieldworkers surveyed up to five retailers within each sector. A radius of 500 metres was chosen as it was considered a reasonable area within which secondary school students might be expected to walk between school and public transport, shops or home. Procedure Data collection was carried out between 10 and 14 April 2000, by eleven trained fieldworkers. In areas selected close to schools, they were instructed to go to the main entrance of each school and face the building. If the school was in a suburb beginning with A to K they were to turn right; if L to Z, to turn left. In areas selected as away from schools, they were instructed to go to the centre of the circle drawn on the map and face north. Once again, if the suburb began with A to K they were to turn right, and left if L to Z. They were to survey the five closest retail stores selling tobacco products in each area. 135

6 Quit Evaluation Studies No Fieldworkers wore nametags that identified them as being from CBRC at the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, and carried a letter of authorisation from the Director of CBRC. They were instructed to approach the person serving in each outlet and introduce themselves, explain that they were conducting a random survey of retail outlets selling tobacco, and request permission to spend a few minutes in the store recording some information. They were instructed to be completely open in data collection. If a retailer refused to allow data collection in the outlet, the fieldworker recorded this and left. Retailers were assured of confidentiality and were able to look at the survey form. Survey record The data collected were: retail location: shopping strip; shopping centre; free-standing type of store: newsagent; supermarket; takeaway store; petrol station; convenience store; milkbar; lotto agency; other external general tobacco signage (comprising any generic signs referring to the fact that the outlet stocked tobacco products, such as cigarettes sold here ): prominence, location; wording external brand advertising: prominence, brands external under-18s notice: prominence, type; location internal under-18s notice: prominence, type; location window displays: prominence, brands internal advertising: brands, type of displays, prominence, location, visibility from street; whether adjacent to confectionery, linked to a special event (eg sporting) promotional items: type, brands, prominence amount of tobacco advertising material overall: extent main tobacco advertising in store: brands, type brands on sale: cigarettes, RYO tobacco, other materials proximity of retail outlet to area likely to be frequented by adolescents, including type of area, ie close to school, on transport route, hang-out (eg. video arcade). Fieldworkers were asked to record all the cigarette brands on sale in each outlet, and the prices for packets of Peter Jackson, Winfield and Longbeach 20s, as these are the most popular brands with secondary students (Hill, White, Letcher 1997). Tobacconists, bottle shops and hotels were omitted from the retail outlets surveyed as it was considered unlikely that secondary school students would frequent these types of outlets. 136

7 Statistical analysis Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale To test for the significance of relationships between variables, a number of statistical procedures have been used including analysis of variance, logistic regression and the chi-square test. In this report, details of statistical tests of significance are not usually included in the text. Where relationships between variables are reported, the probability level of significance was less than.05, indicating a less than 1 in 20 probability that the effect was caused by chance. Regarding the data from this study, it should be noted that small sample sizes mean only large differences are likely to produce statistically significant results. While over 200 retail outlets in total were surveyed, for some analyses cell sizes were low. Statistically significant differences have only been reported where numbers allowed robustness of the result to be assumed. Results A total of 222 retail outlets were surveyed: 100 outlets (45% of the sample) in near school areas and 122 outlets (55%) in away from school areas. While all 50 near school areas and 50 matched away areas were visited by fieldworkers, in two locations there were no retail outlets selling tobacco in either the near or away areas. There were six refusals (fewer than three per cent of outlets). The refusals included a variety of store types and there were three from each of the near school and away from school areas. The information collected on these outlets subsequently included type of store, and information on external tobacco signage, external advertising, any under-18s notices outside the shop, if there were any window displays and whether the outlet was close to a youth hang-out. These six stores are therefore not included in the data descriptions or analyses for any information gathered inside the retail outlets. Table 1 shows the types of outlets covered in the study. As the table indicates, most of the outlets surveyed were milkbars (28%). Almost onefifth (19%) were petrol stations, 17% were newsagents, and 15% supermarkets. Convenience stores, lotto agencies, other outlets and takeaway stores were almost equally represented at around 5% each. For the purposes of comparing any differences in the presence and extent of tobacco advertising and sales items among the retail outlet types, the latter four groups were treated as one category, other outlets. 137

8 Quit Evaluation Studies No Table 1: Outlet type, frequency and percentage Type of outlet Frequency % of total outlets Milkbar Petrol station Newsagent Supermarket Convenience store 13 6 Lotto agency 11 5 Other 11 5 Takeaway store 10 5 Total Retail outlet location: proximity to schools In line with the aim of the study, all variables were tested with the dichotomous variable of proximity of outlet to secondary schools (near or away). Only one significant difference was found. The price of a packet of Winfield cigarettes was found to be significantly higher in outlets located nearer to schools: $5.99 compared with $5.74 in outlets located in areas away from schools. Analyses were subsequently conducted exploring whether there were any differences between outlets controlling for outlet type, to check whether this influenced results. Table 2 indicates the location of the different outlet types by the proximity to secondary schools. However, outlet type did not affect whether or not variables relating to point-of-sale advertising differed between retail outlets located near or away from secondary schools. Table 2: Location of different outlet type by proximity to secondary schools Type of outlet Frequency % of Near school areas Away from school areas total outlets Frequency % of near Frequency % of away (n=222) school from school outlets outlets Milkbar Petrol station Newsagent Supermarket Other Total

9 Internal advertising Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale Table 3 lists the types and frequency of internal advertising and point-ofsale presentation of tobacco-related items in the outlets visited. As the table indicates, only one of 216 retail outlets did not have a cigarette dispensing (tobacco sales) unit. The next most common item associated with tobacco sales was the presence of advertising on the sales unit. Almost half the outlets (49%) had a display case on the counter, while 41% had advertising in the form of pop-out cards on the sales unit (cardboard tags on the unit) and 40% displayed illuminated signage. Eighty outlets displayed posters. Less frequent forms of advertising and sales items were counter mats and packets or cartons of cigarettes in the counter. Other types of internal advertising consisted mainly of clocks. There were also hanging display cards, model cars and signs associated with the Grand Prix, and stickers. Table 3: Types of internal advertising/sales items, number and percentage of total outlets Advertising item Number of outlets Percentage where observed (total outlets=216) (total outlets=216) Cigarette dispensing unit Advertising on sales unit Display case on counter Pop-out card on sales unit Illuminated signage Poster Counter mat Packets/cartons behind counter Packets/cartons on counter Other internal advertising* 29 (35 occurrences) 13 Price board Packets/cartons in counter 9 4 Floor sticker 1 1 Promotional items* 20 (22 occurrences) 9 - free lighter other promotional items 10 5 * Multiple response possible: some outlets had more than one occurrence. 139

10 Quit Evaluation Studies No Table 4 shows the six most frequently occurring items related to tobacco sales/advertising in retail outlets, including the mean prominence rating of items in the outlet, whether items were visible from the doorway or window, and proximity to confectionery. Table 4: Description of the top six tobacco sales/advertising items in 216 retail outlets** Sales/advertising item Outlets with Mean Outlets with Outlets with advertising prominence item where item where items rating* visible from located near doorway/ confectionery window Cigarette dispensing unit (215) 99% 1.31 (96) 45% (21) 10% Advertising on sales unit (187) 87% 1.35 (47) 25% (6) 3% Display case on counter (106) 49% 1.63 (34) 32% (32) 30% Pop-out card on sales unit (89) 41% 1.89 (13) 15% (2) 2% Illuminated signage (86) 40% 1.34 (21) 24% (2) 2% Poster (80) 37% 1.73 (12) 15% (2) 3% * Prominence ratings: 1=very prominent to 3=need to look ** Numbers in parentheses represent number of outlets in each category Prominence of items Table 4 shows the mean prominence ratings of the most frequently displayed items related to tobacco sales. The prominence rating scale was 1=very prominent, 2=moderately prominent and 3=need to look, meaning the lower the rating the more prominent the item. The three items with the highest prominence ratings were tobacco sales units, the advertising located on the sales units, and the illuminated signage present in outlets. These were significantly more prominent than pop-out cards, posters and display cases; the latter three nevertheless rated as predominantly very or moderately prominent. An estimate was made of the overall prominence rating of tobacco-related items in each outlet (eg. the mean prominence of tobacco sales unit, display case, illuminated signage and the other tobacco-related items added together). Items were rated as significantly more prominent in petrol stations compared with supermarkets and other outlet types. Similar mean ratings were computed for the visibility from the doorway or window of advertising/sale items, their proximity to confectionery and whether they related to special events. No significant differences were found between store types where numbers permitted testing. 140

11 Promotional items Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale Promotional items (items included with the purchase of packets of cigarettes) were observed in 20 outlets. Most of these were lighters (60%, 12 stores). There were ten outlets with promotional items other than lighters. Table 5 lists the promotional items. Overall the prominence of promotional items was rated as between moderately prominent and need to look. Among outlet types, promotional items were observed in eight supermarkets (24%, or almost one quarter of supermarkets surveyed), six petrol stations (15% of petrol stations), and two of each of milkbars (3%), newsagents and other store types (both 5%). Table 5: Promotional items displayed in retail outlets Item Frequency Lighter 12 Ashtray 3 CD case 1 2 pack of cigarettes 1 Cigar with cigarettes 1 Watch 1 Cigarettes and key ring 1 Lighter and pen 1 Amount of internal advertising overall Table 6 indicates the amount of overall internal advertising present in outlets, classified as a lot, a little, tobacco sales unit only, and none. The level of internal advertising was rated as a lot when there were posters and other forms of advertising in addition to the sales unit and display cases. A little was judged to be when there was only a sales unit (in all but one premise) and one display case, for example. Table 6: Amount of internal tobacco advertising overall in outlets Amount of overall Frequency Percentage internal advertising in outlet (n=211) A lot A little Tobacco sales unit only None

12 Quit Evaluation Studies No The amount of in-store tobacco advertising overall was judged to be a little in just over half of the outlets. In under one third of outlets advertising was only on the sales unit (n=64, 31%), while 14% of outlets were judged to have a lot of tobacco advertising. Ten outlets, or 5% of those surveyed, had no tobacco advertising: half of these were supermarkets, two were petrol stations, and the remaining three were a newsagent, a milkbar and a Kmart store. Cigarette Prices Data were collected for the price of a packet of 20s for three of the brands most popular with Victorian secondary students, Peter Jackson, Longbeach and Winfield (Hill et al. 1997). Table 7 lists the mean prices for the three brands by retail outlet type. The mean price across all outlet types for Peter Jackson 20s was $5.59, Longbeach $5.35 and Winfield $5.86. The prices for these three brands were compared between outlet types. The prices in supermarkets for the three brands were consistently significantly lower than each other outlet type. For example, the average price for Peter Jackson 20s in supermarkets was $5.27, compared with $5.79 in petrol stations and $5.66 in milkbars. Table 7: Mean prices of three most popular adolescent cigarette brands by outlet type Outlet type Price of Price of Price of Peter Jackson 20s Winfield 20s Longbeach 20s Milkbars $5.66 $5.99 $5.40 Petrol stations $5.78 $6.04 $5.56 Newsagents $5.65 $6.05 $5.57 Supermarkets $5.27 $5.38 $4.96 Other outlet types $5.51 $5.78 $5.35 Mean price $5.59 $5.86 $5.35 RRP* $5.65 $5.95 $5.45 * Regular retail price March 2000 (Australian Retail Tobacconist 2000) Signage External warning signs relating to the legal age at which people may be sold cigarettes were observed at 83 outlets (38%). As shown in Table 8, the majority of outlets (58%) displayed no internal warning signs; only 89 outlets (42% of all surveyed) displayed such signs. 142

13 Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale Table 8: Frequency and percentage of external and internal under-18s warning signs by store type* Outlet type Display of external Display of internal under-18s signs under-18s signs (n=221) (n=214) Milk bars (41) 19% (27) 13% Petrol stations (11) 5% (12) 6% Newsagents (11) 5% (9) 4% Supermarkets (10) 5% (24) 11% Other store types (10) 5% (17) 8% Total (83) 38% (89) 42% * Numbers in parentheses represent number of outlets in each category Milkbars were significantly more likely to display external under-18s warning signs and supermarkets were more likely to display internal warning signs compared with each of the other outlet types. Table 9 lists the types of signs (n=110) observed in these 89 outlets. They included the sign produced by the Victorian Department of Health and Community Services (H&CS) (6% of retailers overall), the sign produced by Quit in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Environmental Health (AIEH) (1%), the It s the law sign produced by the tobacco industry (27%) and the It s the law poster (4%). There was also a substantial number of unofficial signs that were hand-written or printed out (12%). The It s the law message was displayed most frequently, with almost one-third of retail outlets overall displaying the sign or poster (31%). Only 7% of all outlets displayed ideal signage (the official H&CS sign or the Quit/AIEH sign). No outlets had both signs. Table 9: Frequency and type of internal under-18s warning signs Sign type Frequency % of all outlets % of all signs of display (n=214) (n=110)* It s the law sign H&CS notice It s the law poster Quit/AIEH notice Other U18 notice* 28 (25 venues) * Sums to greater than 100% as multiple response possible; some outlets displayed more than one type of sign 143

14 Quit Evaluation Studies No Brands General tobacco advertising signage (comprising any generic signs referring to the fact that the outlet stocked tobacco products, such as cigarettes sold here ) was observed outside fifteen outlets (7% of the total number of retail outlets observed): two each of milk bars, newsagents and petrol stations, one supermarket and eight other outlet types, including two lotto agencies and three gift/chocolate/cigarette stores. The wording of these signs included discount cigarettes and gifts; discount cigarettes and accessories; cigarettes at cheap prices; cheap smokes; discount smokes all brands. Table 10: Top adolescent and adult smokers cigarette brands Victorian secondary students aged Adults (November 1998)** years (current smokers: 1996 data)* Peter Jackson Peter Jackson, Winfield (equal market share) Winfield Longbeach Longbeach Benson & Hedges Benson & Hedges Horizon Horizon Dunhill, Alpine (equal market share) Marlboro * Data from Hill et al. (1997) ** Data from Tan, Wakefield, Freeman (2000) Table 10 lists the top adolescent and adult smokers brands of cigarettes. The top brand among student smokers and one of the equal top adult brands, Peter Jackson, was rated in the present survey as the main tobacco brand advertised across all stores; the main brand on sale; and the main brand advertised on tobacco sales units, display cases and illuminated signs. It was also the main brand on packet/cartons on the counter and was the only floor sticker. The second most popular adolescents brand, Winfield (one of the adults top brands) was the top pop-out card, poster and counter mat brand, and second top brand on sale. The top four brands on sale reflect the same brands and order of popularity as the top four brands smoked by both student and adult smokers: Peter Jackson, Winfield, Longbeach and Benson & Hedges. Longbeach was represented among the top six brands by advertising on counter mats and packets/cartons behind the counter. 144

15 Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale Lucky Strike was the second most frequently advertised brand in-store, as well as the second most advertised brand on tobacco sales units, and third most advertised on pop-out cards and illuminated signage. It was the ninth most featured brand on sale. Benson & Hedges appeared in the top six for all brand advertising, and location of advertising. Marlboro was the sixth most advertised brand instore, on tobacco sales units, the second most popular in illuminated signage, and third for counter mats. It was the eighth most frequent brand on sale. Horizon was the fifth most popular advertised brand on sales units, reflecting its popularity among adolescent smokers. This brand was also among the top six represented by advertising on display cases in the counter, illuminated signage and posters. Superkings was represented among the top six brands advertised in-store, on pop-out cards, display cases on the counter, posters, and in packets/ cartons on and behind the counter. Main differences in outlet type and display of advertising items Supermarkets significantly more likely than milkbars or newsagents to have a tobacco display case on the counter more likely than milkbars to display a price-board offered more promotional items for sale (eight items) than did milkbars (two items) significantly more likely to display under-18s warning signs inside the store compared with each of the other outlet types offered significantly lower prices for the three most popular cigarette brands, Peter Jackson, Longbeach and Winfield, than in each other outlet type displayed significantly lower levels of advertising on tobacco sales units than either milkbars or newsagents had a significantly lower level of display of pop-out cards concerning tobacco-related items compared with each other retail outlet type half of the outlets with no tobacco advertising in the store were supermarkets. Milkbars displayed significantly more posters than either petrol stations or supermarkets significantly more likely than supermarkets to display advertising (popout cards ) on tobacco sales units 145

16 Quit Evaluation Studies No significantly more likely to display external warning signs than all the other outlet types significantly less likely to have a display case on the counter compared with both petrol stations and supermarkets. only one milkbar had a price-board. Petrol stations significantly more likely to have a display case on the counter than milkbars, newsagents and other store types tobacco-related items rated as significantly more prominent than in supermarkets and other store types more likely to have tobacco advertising in the form of a counter mat (observed in 15 petrol stations, over one third of those observed) than newsagents, supermarkets and other store types. Newsagents significantly more likely to display advertising on tobacco sales units than supermarkets significantly less likely than supermarkets to have a display case on the counter. There were no significant differences across outlet type for: frequency with which the top six cigarette brands preferred by secondary students were offered for sale: Horizon, Longbeach, Marlboro, Peter Jackson, Winfield, Benson & Hedges presence of tobacco sales (cigarette dispensing) unit (in all but one outlet) presence of illuminated advertising signage whether outlet was located near a secondary school or youth hang-out such as video arcade or transport route mean ratings of prominence of advertising and sales items, the proximity of such items to confectionery, the visibility of internal advertising and sales items from the doorway or window of the store, or whether the items related to special events such as the Grand Prix. Discussion This report has given an indication of the extent of point-of-sale advertising for tobacco products and companies observed in a sample of retail outlets around metropolitan Melbourne. Just before data collection commenced in the study, reports became public regarding Victorian government intentions to introduce legislative reforms banning point-of-sale advertising. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that some removal of point-of-sale 146

17 Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale advertising occurred from outlets several weeks prior to data collection. This may have occurred partly in association with the proposed changes to legislation, to avoid potential criticism of current practices and to defuse community debate on the issue. In consideration of the legislative reforms banning point-of-sale advertising, it is important to note that ten of the outlets surveyed displayed no internal tobacco advertising, evidence that some retailers are already engaging in (it is assumed successful) tobacco sales without point-of-sale advertising. Since restrictions were imposed upon tobacco advertising in the print and broadcast media, point-of-sale advertising has been one of the remaining avenues for display of advertising by tobacco companies. However even this is now being eroded, with several jurisdictions already imposing bans on point-of-sale advertising. The amendments to Victoria s Tobacco Act are long overdue and reflect strong public approval (Victorian Department of Human Services 1999). They will help bring Victoria into line with other Australian jurisdictions such as Tasmania, NSW and the ACT, and it is hoped that other Australian jurisdictions will follow suit. The current research and the legislative reforms of the Victorian Parliament move tobacco control further towards implementation of the National Tobacco Strategy. The main forms of point-of-sale tobacco advertising observed in the current study were very obvious visual displays, comprising tobacco sales units, display cases, pop-out cards, illuminated signage and posters. All of these received high prominence ratings. Some of the patterns and types of tobacco advertising observed in the current study may be attributed to store type and, as would be expected, outlets tend to display advertising appropriate to factors such as store lay-out. For example, half of the outlets with no tobacco advertising in the store were supermarkets, which were more likely than milkbars or newsagents to have a tobacco display case on the counter. This may be partly due to the design of the sales area. In supermarkets the console is often a stand-alone counter dealing with cigarette sales and customer service, in which case there are no walls nearby upon which to display advertising items such as posters or signs. As would be expected, the pattern of brand advertising followed closely the patterns of brand preference found among adult and young smokers. As found in the Massachusetts study, the top four brands observed to be on sale reflected the top four brands smoked by both student and adult smokers. In addition, there were two brands, Lucky Strike and Superkings, that featured quite highly among forms of advertising in the retail outlets, but are not represented among the top six brands of cigarettes preferred by 147

18 Quit Evaluation Studies No smokers. The levels of advertising observed for these brands likely represent tactics to capture market share: Superkings was launched in November 1999 as a response to changes to the way in which tobacco is taxed in Australia (the movement to a per stick system), while Lucky Strike appeared early in 2000 in association with the Grand Prix (Australian Retail Tobacconist 1999, 2000). In 1996, a national survey of secondary students found that 38% of all current smokers aged years (younger than the age at which one may be sold cigarettes legally) had bought their last cigarette in a retail store (Hill et al. 1999); this figure was 46% among Victorian students (Hill et al. 1997). The store type was most commonly a milkbar/delicatessen (Hill et al. 1999). The current research indicates that milkbars and newsagents display advertisements on tobacco sales units significantly more often than supermarkets. The advertisements on sales units were rated as very prominent, as were the tobacco sales units themselves. Milkbars also displayed more posters than either petrol stations or supermarkets. Similarly, in the Massachusetts study, the greatest proportion of tobacco advertising was observed outside stores where most young people purchase cigarettes, convenience stores and petrol stations (Massachusetts Department of Public Health 1998). Thus it seems that young people below the age of 18 are likely to be exposed to large amounts of tobacco advertising at the point of sale in outlets where they most often purchase cigarettes, and where they are likely to congregate to purchase confectionery. The current study found that milkbars were significantly more likely to display external warning signs than all the other outlet types. It is possible that external signage is less likely to be effective than signage adjacent to the point of purchase in reminding either the person serving to ask for proof of age identification, or in reinforcing to the buyer that the legal age is 18 and that they may be asked for identification. Compliance checks conducted in the western region of Melbourne in 1998 and 1999, for example, found that a disproportionate number of sales to minors occurred at milkbars and service station convenience stores, compared with supermarkets, newsagents, takeaways and tobacconists (Victorian Department of Human Services 1999). These three waves of compliance checks in the western region of Melbourne found that over half the outlets (54-61% across each survey of almost 400 shops) displayed warning signs (Boulter 1999, Letcher 1999). In 1986, CBRC carried out a survey of 299 retailers to investigate the level of usage of signs produced by the Health Department and the tobacco 148

19 Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale industry after the signs were introduced in the mid-eighties (Houston 1987). This study found that 47% of retailers displayed the official Health Department/Victorian Health and Smoking Program notice and 3% another notice with the same basic information. A further study was conducted by CBRC in 1994, after the legal age at which people are permitted to be sold cigarettes was increased from 16 to 18 years (Mullins 1996). This survey of 268 outlets showed that 72% displayed some form of signage: 53% the Health Department sign, 20% the tobacco industry It s the law sign, and 8% the Quit/Australian Institute of Environmental Health (AIEH) sign. In contrast to the studies described above, where 50% to 72% of retailers were found to display warning notices, only 42% of outlets in the current study displayed under-18s warning signs inside the store. This figure constitutes an alarming reduction in signage display to below the levels of the mid-eighties when the Health Department and tobacco industry signs were first produced. In addition, the proportion of retailers displaying the tobacco industry sign has increased from 20% in 1994 (Mullins 1996) to 27% in 2000; 31% including posters. In contrast, the level of display of official signs has fallen dramatically, almost ten-fold for the Health Department sign (53% in 1994 to 6% in 2000), from 8% to 1% for the Quit/ AIEH notice, and seven-fold for either the Department or Quit/AIEH sign (49% in 1994 compared with 7% in 2000). This is cause for concern, given that the tobacco industry sign (relaunched in 1998) may suggest to underage people that the purchase of cigarettes is an appealing illegal challenge, and implies the responsibility for keeping to the law is on the side of the young people rather than the retailer (Mullins 1996). It may be that retailers are using the industry signs rather than the official alternatives as tobacco sales representatives may supply them when delivering tobacco products to outlets. Given the concerns about such signs, it is important that retailers are supplied with more appropriate legal age warning signs. An ideal opportunity for this will be in the planning of and preparation for the implementation of the amendments to the Victorian legislation regarding point-of-sale displays. The reforms require retailers to display either a health warning or smoking cessation sign at the point of sale from 1 July While retailers will not be required to display signs relating to the minimum age requirement for the purchase of cigarettes, such signs could be included in mail-outs of the required warning signs. The Western region compliance checks also indicated that young people under the age of 18 years were less likely to be sold cigarettes if retailers asked for proof of age, and that this was more likely to happen in premises 149

20 Quit Evaluation Studies No where warning signs were displayed (Victorian Department of Human Services 1999). The reforms to the Victorian Act increase penalties to retailers caught selling cigarettes to children under the age of 18, and enable the suspension of retailers rights to sell tobacco products if they breach the laws. These reforms come into effect on 1 November Recent Australian research shows that compliance checks, training retailers and enforcing legislation banning sales to minors might reduce adolescent smoking rates. Maintaining high levels of retailer compliance with legislation regarding sales to young people under the age of 18 years was found to be associated with a reduction in the proportion of adolescent smokers (Tutt, Bauer, Edwards, Cook 2000). Several studies in the United States have also shown that the enforcement of such laws decreases the frequency and prevalence of cigarette smoking among young people (Feighery, Altman, Shaffer 1991, Jason, Li, Anes, Birkhead 1991). It would therefore be hoped that reforms increasing penalties to retailers breaking the law will be associated with increased retailer education and hence encourage more requests for identification, with a resulting reduction in the number of sales to young people under the age of 18 and an associated decrease in smoking levels among this group. Several methodological, demographic and geographical reasons need to be taken into account when considering that, unlike the study conducted in Massachusetts, the current study found no difference in levels and types of tobacco advertising between retail outlets in near school and away from school areas. The American study was conducted in 125 cities and towns in Massachusetts with a combined population of over 3,500,000 people. In contrast, the current study looked at 222 outlets in fifty areas around metropolitan Melbourne. In addition, the American study looked at advertising external to outlets (storefront advertising). It would be expected that the surface area available to advertising outside stores would be greater than that at the point of sale. Due to the limitations placed upon point-of-sale advertising in Victoria, the differences would need to be large to result in significant differences. However, the results may simply reflect the state of play regarding point-of-sale displays in Victoria in early 2000, that there are no significant differences in tobacco advertising between outlets located near and away from schools. It was found, as may be expected from a marketing perspective, that the top four brands on sale reflect the top four brands smoked by both year old and adult smokers. In addition, the top six brands preferred by these two groups of smokers are represented in the top ten brands advertised and the top ten main brands for sale in the range of retail outlets included in the current research. 150

21 Chapter 11: Tobacco advertising at the point of sale Under the Victorian Tobacco Act (1987), a gift in connection with the sale of a tobacco product or for the purpose of promoting the sale of a tobacco product may not be supplied to a person purchasing a tobacco product. Twenty outlets, or 9% of those surveyed in the current study, offered some kind of promotional item with various cigarette sales: the majority of items were lighters, while the rest included a compact disc case, a cigar, a pen, a key ring and an ashtray. Such items are attractive to young people and may serve as an inducement to buy the tobacco product. Research from the United States has shown that adolescents who have a favourite cigarette advertisement, and/or have or want a smoking promotional item, are more likely to experiment with and take up smoking in the future than those who do not (Massachusetts Department of Public Health 1998). The current study has demonstrated the extent of point-of-sale advertising in a variety of retail outlets across metropolitan Melbourne, and recorded the level of different types of such advertising, observed differences between outlet types, and explored brand advertising and availability for sale. It has also highlighted the presence of some questionable promotions by the tobacco companies, and resulted in the development of a successful tool for assessing the extent and types of point-of-sale advertising. Such a tool will be useful for other jurisdictions interested in assessing the level of point-of-sale advertising and provide a basis for investigating changes in the way tobacco products are presented and sold in Victorian tobacco retail outlets once the legislative reforms come into force in July The current findings and previous research support the need for such restrictions. The reforms will play an important role in tackling the problem of underage tobacco sales, and are consistent with one of the strategy objectives highlighted in the National Tobacco Strategy: to prevent the uptake of smoking among children and young people. 151

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