| Summary: | Background
Smoking prevalence in communist Poland reached the highest level
in the world in the 1980s. Despite the state-sanctioned anti-tobacco campaigns
less than half of all Poles believed that smoking was a serious hazard to health.
In 1989, as communism collapsed, transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) entered
Poland. TTCs spent US$100 million annually on cigarette publicity, becoming the
leading advertiser in the country. The TTCs predicted an increase in cigarette sales
in Poland.
Instead, a rapid decline in smoking occurred in the 1990s. A
very active health advocacy movement developed, attempting to counteract the
marketing efforts of TTCs, also through anti-tobacco advertising. By the end of
the century cultural norms shifted - a European survey showed that by the late 1990s
Poland had the highest acceptance of anti-smoking measures in Europe.
Methods
A thematic analysis of relevant advertising materials produced
between 1989 and 2000 available in Polish media archives, collections of anti-tobacco
advocacy groups, and tobacco industry websites, was conducted.
Results
After the collapse of communism both tobacco and antitobacco
messaging in Poland focused around four major themes - the appeal of smoking to
children, the use of historical and patriotic motifs, employing shock tactics,
and the struggle over which lifestyle embodies 'western' values. Many of the
anti-tobacco images were designed by Poland's leading poster artists and were
characterised by high artistic value.
Conclusions
Polish anti-tobacco advocates successfully reclaimed many of
the themes and values used by the TTCs in promoting smoking. They challenged
the industry's attempts to portray smoking as a 'western' habit, employed
patriotic tropes and shock tactics, and steered the debate towards the health
effects of tobacco use.
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