Smoking is an international health crisis. Tobacco packaging is an important vehicle to convey anti-smoking messages, which to date have been predominantly limited to fear-based health appeals. Using an experimental approach, we examine whether a novel alternative – using negative social cues on packaging – is effective at discouraging smoking. Our results support the notion that packaging which conveys to smokers that ‘others’ view smoking negatively is sufficient to trigger feelings of self-consciousness, which in turn reduces smoking intentions. This approach is particularly effective in ‘isolated’ smokers who do not see smoking as identity-relevant or congruent with their social self. These findings suggest that for a particular segment of the smoking population, the integration of negative social cues on packaging may be an effective complement to current fear-based appeals.
