How Tobacco Tries To Hook Us

what an act:
how hollywood
helps hook us
Mark E. Woods, MPPM, MSW, LSW, TTS-C

the problem“film is better than any commercial that has been run on television or any magazine because the audience is totally unaware of any sponsor involvement.”

Big Tobacco has a history of lying.
Hollywood has a history of pretending, too.
Smoking does not reflect reality.

“We believe that mostof the strong, positive images for cigarettes and smoking are created by cinemaandtelevision…. It is reasonable to assume that films and personalities have more influence on consumers than a static poster [from a] … pack hung on a washing line under a dark and stormy sky.”– 1989 Phillip Morris Market Research Study

“If branded cigarette
advertising is to take full
advantage of these
images, it has to do more than
simply achieve package
recognition - …”
Lucky Strike
Camel

“… it has to feed off and exploit the image source.” – 1989 Phillip Morris Market Research Study

dose & content

Dose & Target

21%
74%

.5
.4
.3
.2
.1
0
0
2
5
10
20
40
Percent of Movie Time with Tobacco Use

removing it would affect only 5% of the movie

3 Movies per Week
150 Movies per Year

An R rating reduces the likelihood that a teen will see a movie …
Percent seeing the movie

Number of tobacco occurrences seen
0-50 26.1%
51-100 28.6%
101-150 19.7%
>150 25.7%

.2
.1
0
0
50
100
200
300
400
500
Number of Tobacco Occurrences Seen

Tried Smoking (percent)

101-150
0-50
51-100
> 150
40
35
30
25
grade 5
grade 6
Percent Tried Smoking
20
grade 7
grade 8
15
10
5
0
Exposure to movie tobacco use

* Adjusted for sociodemographics, social influences, child
characteristics and parenting characteristics.

Exposure to tobacco scenes DOUBLES your risk of future addiction

those with nonsmoker
parents are at greater risk

Solution?

www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu

“I believe films always mirror society; what film makers are trying to do is to document what’s happening in society… I think that if people are going to be influenced to start smoking or smoke cigarettes as a consequence of watching motion pictures or television, then they probably need more help than anyone can give them.”– Director/producer

“The medium is the message, and the message would be right — part of the show. How different from being the Corporate Moneybags or pushing samples in the lobby. It's the difference between B&W [Brown and Williamson Tobacco] doing commercials in movie houses and Marlboro turning up in the movies.“Pull, not push. Nobody tells them the 'answer,' they just know. Not 'why are you smoking that?' but 'I saw that video — can I try one?' If they feel like wearing the badge, they'll buy it. Like magic.”– RJR Marketing Executive (1984)

13 Going on 30 16 Blocks
28 Days Later 3:10 to Yuma
40 Year-Old Virgin, The Abandon
Akeelah and the Bee Alex & Emma
American Dreamz Amityville Horror, The
An American Haunting Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid Annapolis
Antwone Fisher Arthur and the Invisibles
August Rush Austin Powers in Goldmember
Baby Mama Babylon A.D.
Bangkok Dangerous Barbershop
Barnyard: The Original Party Animals Bee Movie
Benchwarmers, The Bend it Like Beckham
Bewitched Big Fat Liar
Big Fish Blades of Glory
Borat! Bourne Supremecy, The
Bringing Down the House Bulletproof Monk
Calendar Girls Catch and Release
Cellular Changing Lanes
Christmas with the Kranks
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The
Cold Mountain Comebacks, The
Covenant, The Curious George
Da Vinci Codes, The Daddy Day Care
Dark Knight, The Dark Water
Darkness Date Movie

Dead Silence Delta Farce
Descent, The Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
Disaster Movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Doom Drillbit Taylor
Drumline Duchess, The
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd E.T.
Eight Crazy Nights Eight Legged Freaks
Elf Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Elizabethtown Eurotrip
Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed Express, The
Eye, The Fahrenheit 9/11
Fantastic Four Fever Pitch
First Sunday Flushed Away
Flyboys Fool's Gold
Four Christmases Fracture
Freedomland Friday After Next
Friday Night Lights Friends with Money

Georgia Rule Get Smart
Ghost Town Gone Baby Gone
Good Girl, The Gothika
Gridiron Gang Grudge, The
Guy Thing, A Halloween: Resurrection
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Haunted Mansion, The Haunting of Molly Hartley
Head of State Heartbreak Kid, The
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The
Home on the Range Hot Chick, The
Hot Rod House of 1000 Corpses
How to Deal Hunted, The
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
I Spy I, Robot
In Her Shoes In-Laws, the
Interpreter, The Intolerable Cruelty
Invisible, The Island, The
It Runs In the Family Italian Job, The
Jackass Jeepers Creepers 2
Johnny English Just Married
Knocked Up
Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector
Last Holiday Last House on the Left, The

League of Extrodinary Gentlemen
Legally Blonde: Red, White $ Blonde
Little Man Little Miss Sunshine
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Love Actually Lucky Number Slevin
Lucky You Made of Honor
Madea's Family Reunion Maid in Manhattan
Man of the House Martian Child
Max Payne Medallion, The
Meet the Browns Meet the Fockers
Meet the Robinsons Minority Report
Missing, The Mission: Impossible III
Mist, The Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Mr. Bean's Holiday Mr. Brooks
My Big Fat Greek Wedding My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Nancy Drew Nanny Diaries, The
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Night Listener
No Country for Old Men Norbit
Not Easily Broken P.S. I Love You
Perfect Score, The Peter Pan
Phantom of the Opera, The
Pink Panther, The
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Poseidon Premonition
Pride and Prejudice Prime
Primeval Protector, The
Queen of the Damned Recruit, The
Red Dragon Red-Eye
Reign Over Me Religulous
Resident Evil: Extinction Robots
Saw IV Saw V School for Scoundrels
Secret Life of Bees, The Seed of Chucky

Sentinel, The Serenity
Sex Drive Shark Tale
Shoot 'Em Up Showtime
Sicko Signs
Silent Hill Slither
Something New Speed Racer
Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron
SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, The
Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
Stardust Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
Super Size Me Superhero Movie
Suspect Zero
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sweetest Thing, The Swimfan
Taken Terminal, The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The: The Beginning
Thank You for Smoking Transporter 2
Transporter 3 Treasure Planet
Tuck Everlasting Turistas
Underdog Underworld
Underworld: Evolution Undisputed
Unfaithful Unleashed
Vacancy Van Wilder

Vanity Fair View From the Top
Village, The Visitor, The
Walking Tall Wanted
Wedding Crashers Welcome to Mooseport
What A Girl Wants Wicker Man, The
Wicker Park Woman Thou Art Loosed
Women, The Wrong Turn
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
X-Men: The Last Stand
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
You Got Served Zack and Miri Make a Porno