Krugman D M, Fox R J, Fischer P M
Department of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Georgia, Athens 30602, USA.
J Health Commun. 1999 Apr-Jun;4(2):95-104. doi: 10.1080/108107399126986.
Warnings in cigarette advertisements have been the principal method mandated by the federal government to educate consumers about the risks of smoking. Warnings have been required in all cigarette ads for 30 years and have remained largely unchanged during this time. The current warning program was neither developed nor implemented with specific communication goals in mind. Instead, it was negotiated by the government and tobacco industry representatives. The warning program has served the tobacco industry well by providing it with a key argument in tobacco litigation: "We warned you." It has, however, failed as a public health strategy, since much research has shown that the current warnings are ineffective communication devices. If Congress is to be effective in its efforts to educate consumers about the risks of smoking, it needs to rethink the warning strategy while making use of knowledge regarding how warnings work. The paper draws from current studies in order to develop realistic cigarette warning objectives and points out the considerations necessary to create such warnings. To be effective, warnings must be developed, targeted, tested, and revised over time.
香烟广告中的警示语一直是联邦政府规定的让消费者了解吸烟风险的主要方式。30年来，所有香烟广告都必须有警示语，在此期间警示语基本没有变化。当前的警示计划在制定和实施时并未考虑具体的传播目标。相反，它是由政府和烟草行业代表协商制定的。警示计划对烟草行业很有利，因为它为烟草诉讼提供了一个关键论据：“我们警告过你。”然而，作为一项公共卫生策略，它却失败了，因为大量研究表明，当前的警示语并不是有效的传播手段。如果国会想要有效地让消费者了解吸烟风险，就需要在利用有关警示语如何发挥作用的知识的同时，重新思考警示策略。本文借鉴当前的研究成果，以制定切实可行的香烟警示目标，并指出创建此类警示所需考虑的因素。要想有效，警示语必须经过制定、针对性设计、测试，并随着时间的推移进行修订。
