The Role of Negative Visual Expression of Domestic Cigarette Package Design on Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions

Regulatory policies to lower smoking rates are being strengthened worldwide, and the Republic of Korea has also made it mandatory to insert health warning pictures in cigarette packages since 2016. These negative visual expressions are expected to directly communicate health risks to consumers and induce changes in attitudes toward smoking. As a result of the study, the the warning picture and contrast of color of the cigarette package caused strong reluctance to consumers, affecting changes in consumer attitudes, and in particular, the image acted as a factor that greatly reduced the consumer's purchase intention. In addition, it was found that short and clear warning sentence have the effect of raising consumer awareness and suppressing purchase intention. Consumer attitudes directly affected purchase intentions, and negative visual expressions formed consumers' negative attitudes and tended to lower purchase intentions through this. These findings empirically demonstrate that cigarette package design has a substantial impact on consumer behavior, suggesting the need for more effective smoking cessation policies and visual warning strategies. Based on this study, it is expected that various developmental studies can provide practical implications for the establishment of public health policies and regulatory strategies.