Participants’ quotes demonstrating themes relating to packet colour appeal and harm perceptions
| Theme 1. Packet colour and product appeal | |
| Product strength and appeal | ‘This packet of cigarettes would taste the best because the blue colour reminds me of the ocean, so it makes me think these cigarettes would taste cool and fresh’. 22–24 years, hospitality/tourism employee ‘The blue colour of this packet makes me think the cigarettes are menthol, which is a nice taste and like fresh feeling in your mouth when you smoke it’. 18–21 years, hospitality/tourism employee ‘This packet of cigarettes would taste the best because the blue colour makes me think they are good quality and light smell’. 22–24 years, university student ‘I think the black packet would taste the best because it looks like it has a strong flavour… I like to smoke this strong flavour’. 22–24 years, construction worker |
| Tobacco brands and attributes | ‘I think this packet of cigarettes would taste the best because it looks like Mevius, which is the brand that I like to smoke. Even though this picture does not have a name on it, I still know that these cigarettes would be like Mevius cigarettes because of the same colour packet’. 18–21 years, hospitality/tourism employee ‘I believe this packet would taste the best because it looks similar to Mevius, the type of cigarette that me and all my friends smoke. It looks the same as Mevius, so I think it would taste good too’. 18–21 years, university student ‘This red packet would taste better than the other packets because it is the same colour as ARA, which is the brand that I like to smoke now’. 22–24 years, garment manufacturing employee ‘I think the red packet would taste the best because it looks like the cigarette brand that I usually smoke, so I feel like I already know this taste’. 22–24 years, hospitality/tourism employee |
| Theme 2. Packet colour and harm perceptions | |
| Reduced harm | ‘These cigarettes are not too harmful for your health because they are in a white packet. This colour makes me think they have less nicotine and less tobacco in them, so they don’t harm your body as much as the other packets’. 18–21 years, hospitality/tourism employee ‘The white colour of this packet means that these cigarettes only have a small amount of poison in them. So I think they would be the least harmful to the smoker’s lungs compared to the darker packets’. 18–21 years, university student ‘The white colour makes me think of honesty and integrity, so I think these cigarettes would not be too harmful for my health’. 18–21 years, hospitality/tourism employee ‘This cigarette is not very bad because the white colour of the packet reminds me of purity and a good heart. I don’t think it looks very dangerous’. 18–21 years, university student |
| Increased harm | ‘I think that the black packet would be the most harmful to your body because the black colour makes me think that these cigarettes would be very strong and probably harmful to your lungs’. 18–21 years, university student ‘I think these cigarettes would be the most harmful because they are in a red packet, which reminds me of blood and a stop sign on the road, and this makes me think of something bad like an accident In the car’. 18–21 years, garment manufacturing employee ‘These cigarettes are dangerous because the black colour of the packet represents a bad future, so the smoker of this packet might have a bad future or problem in their life’. 18–21 years, hospitality/tourism employee ‘I think this packet of cigarettes is the worse for your lungs because the black colour represents death and danger’. 18–21 years, hospitality/tourism employee |