Plainly powerful packaging: marketing objectives of cigarette pack design

This paper examines the role of pack design in cigarette marketing. Rather than using primary research it relies upon historical, as well as contemporary, publicly available tobacco industry reports and data. These secondary sources allow the specific marketing objectives of cigarette packaging design from the tobacco industry perspective to be established. The findings debunk the myth that 'plain packaging won't work' being promoted by tobacco companies in relation to Australia's proposed 2012 plain packaging legislation and reveal their expertise in using pack design as the critical element of their marketing mix.