Cigarette packs which look alike seem to help smokers to quit smoking for good.

This is what a new study from Australia show, where a requirement of identical packaging was legislated in 2012.

The researchers in Australia found that when all packages look the same, the positive feelings that the smoker has linked to specific brands probably disappears.

Australia was the first country to legislate a requirement that all cigarettes must be sold in the same packaging and health warnings. The UK and Ireland introduced plain packaging in May 2016.

Smokers responded to a questionnaire before and after the legislation was introduced, and stated that their brand loyalty disappeared. They could not pinpoint a trademark more ‘trendy’ than others.

The brand’s identity disappearance correlated with less smoking and a greater willingness to quit smoking.

Reference:

H. Webb et al. “Smoke signals: The decline of brand identity predicts reduced smoking behaviour following the introduction of plain packaging” Addictive Behaviors Reports, DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2017.02.003