It’s easy to forget how powerful a picture can be.
This week a study revealed that tobacco firms forked out hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of dollars in the first half of the 20th century, to persuade Hollywood icons to smoke on screen.
It’s a timely reminder that the steady drip-drip repetition of positive smoking images can be a powerful force in encouraging people to smoke. Powerful enough make it worth paying actors like Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Joan Crawford the equivalent of six-figure sums.
But it works both ways. Because last week also saw the publication of a paper in Addiction, suggesting that graphic images on cigarette packages can increase teenagers’ desire to quit.
Posted by Henry Scowcroft 
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