ABSTRACT
Marketing academics can obtain large government grants for research that directly improves health. The attractive models in cigarette ads made peers who smoked look cool, and so youth wanted to smoke to look cool too. Ads can work indirectly, by altering or priming social perceptions, which then affect consumption. Social media-based group programs can promote healthier lifestyles but engagement is a challenge. Showing an antismoking ad before a movie that portrayed smokers as uncool caused "reverse priming" and inoculated adolescents from the attractive smoker models. The ads that consistently did the best portrayed smokers and drug users in a negative light, or alternatively portrayed non-smokers and non-drug users positively. The authors’ seed research found Tweet2Quit doubled quit-smoking rates, but they are perfecting the program and expanding to women-only groups. It is gratifying to hear so many participants say Tweet2Quit has been invaluable to their quit efforts.
