The Virginia Slims identity crisis: an inside look at tobacco industry marketing to women.

OBJECTIVES: Because no prior studies have comprehensively analysed previously secret tobacco industry documents describing marketing female brands, the Virginia Slims brand was studied to explore how Philip Morris and competitors develop and adapt promotional campaigns targeting women. METHODS: Analysis of previously secret tobacco industry documents. The majority of the documents used were from Philip Morris. RESULTS: The key to Virginia Slims advertising was creating an aspirational image which women associated with the brand. Virginia Slims co-opted women's liberation slogans to build a modern female image from 1968 through to the 1980s, and its market share grew from 0.24% to 3.16% during that time period. Ironically, the feminist image that worked very well for the brand was also the reason for its subsequent problems. Philip Morris experienced unprecedented losses in market share in the early 1990s, with a decline in market share for four consecutive years from 3.16% to 2.26%; they attributed this decline to both the fact that the brand's feminist image no longer appealed to young women aged 18-24 years, and increased competition from more contemporary and lower priced competitors. Throughout the 1990s, attempts to reacquire young women while retaining Virginia Slims loyal (now older) smokers were made using a "King Size" line extension, new slogans, and loyalty building promotions. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco advertisers initially created distinct female brands with aspirational images; continued appeal to young women was critical for long term growth. The need for established brands to evolve to maintain relevance to young women creates an opportunity for tobacco counter-marketing, which should undermine tobacco brand imagery and promote aspirational smoke-free lifestyle images. Young women age 18-24 are extremely valuable to the tobacco industry and should be a focus for tobacco control programmes.

The relationship between thought suppression and smoking cessation.

Intrusive thoughts (e.g., anxiety, depression, substance use) are among the most salient symptoms of clinical problems. Therefore, methods of thought suppression have received considerable attention. However, some studies have found that attempts to suppress thoughts precipitate an increase in thoughts. In the case of substance abuse, such thoughts could serve as cues for further use. This study examined the association between thought suppression and quitting smoking in a sample of current and ex-smokers. Using the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI), scores were obtained for participants' level of thought suppression. Based on the idea that a greater tendency to suppress thoughts would make quitting smoking more difficult, it was hypothesized that unsuccessful quitters would have higher WBSI scores than smokers who had successfully quit. It was found that mean scores on the WBSI were significantly higher (P<.05) for smokers than ex-smokers. These findings suggest that a tendency toward thought suppression may increase the likelihood that attempts to quit smoking will be unsuccessful.