Filters, Flavors … Flim-Flam, Too! on “Health Information” and Policy Implications in Cigarette Advertising

Abstract

Cigarette advertising has often used health appeals, but has rarely been informative about health effects. Many historical examples and Canadian data suggest that the Ringold and Calfee [1989] data on “health information” must be very cautiously interpreted. To be carefully considered are their conservative definition of “health,” liberal definition of “information,” exclusive focus on words, disregard of claim emphasis or repetition in an ad, and coding procedures. The deregulation their conclusion suggests holds little promise for producing cigarette advertising with greater informativeness and consumers with better information.