<h3>Transcript</h3>
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Voice 1&nbsp;

Welcome to Spotlight. I&rsquo;m Adam Navis.

Voice 2&nbsp;

And I&rsquo;m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1&nbsp;

In 2003, the company Crest wanted to sell more of their new toothpaste. This toothpaste cleaned teeth and made them whiter. But Crest needed a package for it. The package would hold the toothpaste as it sat in stores. Designers made the package look like it cost a lot of money. They wanted people to think the toothpaste was important. So, for example, they made its color dark blue. This design had a great result. Sales of the product increased by 5%.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Packaging is often an important part of a product. Many companies hire researchers to design packaging. The researchers discover what kind of packaging makes people buy a product. Many parts of a package influence a person&rsquo;s decision to buy a product. A person may not even notice that they are being influenced. Designers also think about what message the packaging sends to the person who buys it.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Companies use product packaging to encourage people to buy a product. But what if packaging had the opposite effect? What if someone wanted to <em>decrease</em> sales? This is what some governments are doing. They hope to use this method to decrease the amount of people who smoke cigarettes.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Many people already know that smoking is bad for them. Smoking is linked to many health problems including lung cancer and heart attacks. Cigarettes are made from the tobacco plant. The WHO reports that tobacco kills almost 6 million people every year. Over 80% of these deaths are in the developing world. However, even though it is dangerous, people continue to smoke. The WHO says that more and more people around the world are starting to smoke - especially in developing countries.

Voice 1&nbsp;

The WHO works to stop people from smoking. They teach people why smoking is so dangerous. They support governments and organizations that help people stop smoking. For example, they encourage all governments to ban all forms of tobacco advertising. That is, tobacco companies should not encourage people to buy their product in any way. This can be through television or printed advertisements, or by giving away materials with cigarette company images on them.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Advertising has a clear effect on people. That is why businesses pay so much money to create really good advertising. Packaging is a part of advertising. The way a product looks affects how it sells. Some governments are using this idea to encourage people to stop smoking.

Voice 1&nbsp;

On December 1st 2012, Australia began a new law governing the selling of cigarettes. It is a law about cigarette packages. Many people call it the &ldquo;plain packaging law&rdquo;. In Australia, all cigarette packages must be in a particular kind of package, or box. The package must include no images or words from the company&rsquo;s branding. That is, cigarette companies cannot use their colors, logos, or any other company images. Instead, every box is the same simple and unexciting brown color. The kind of cigarette is in small simple letters.

Voice 2&nbsp;

All packages also include large health warnings. These health warnings include pictures. The warnings cover 75% of the front of the package and 90% of the back of the package. The pictures are of health problems caused by cigarettes. For example, one cigarette package has the warning: &ldquo;Smoking causes lung cancer&rdquo;. On the front and back of the package, there is a large detailed color picture of lung cancer in a person&rsquo;s body. The image is real. It makes a person feel sick. It looks disgusting. The packages also include facts about the health problem and resources for stopping smoking.

Voice 1&nbsp;

The Australian government chose each part of this design for a purpose. Placing large health warnings on cigarette packages is already very common in countries around the world. Larger health warnings are easier to see. But other parts of the package needed more research. For example, a research team asked people what colors they did <em>not </em>like. Then they chose the color people disliked the most. That is why the packages are brown.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Australia has three main goals for their plain packaging. First, they want tobacco products, like cigarettes, to look worse. Second, they want people to notice the important health warnings. Shocking health pictures can have a big effect on a person. Finally, the Australian government wants cigarette packages to tell the truth about smoking. Smoking is dangerous for a person&rsquo;s health. It is not a fun or exciting thing to do.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Kylie Lindorff is the leader of the Cancer Council Australia&rsquo;s Tobacco Issues Committee. She says the new packaging is already having the effect they wanted. Fewer people are enjoying cigarettes.

Voice 3

&ldquo;Many, many smokers have said that they do not like the look of the new packages. They also believe the taste of the cigarettes is worse. But the tobacco companies have said the product is the same. This just proves how powerful packaging is. It communicates messages about supposed quality and benefits of a particular kind of cigarette.&rdquo;

Voice 2&nbsp;

But tobacco companies do not like the plain packaging law. And some countries are also trying to fight Australia&rsquo;s laws. Four countries that export a lot of tobacco do not want the plain packaging laws to stay. They have brought their case to the World Trade Organisation. However, Australia has already defended the law against one case. It seems the law will stay.

Voice 1&nbsp;

But still other countries are watching Australia&rsquo;s plain packaging laws closely. Some countries even hope to establish similar laws. New Zealand, Ireland, and India are three countries who may soon begin using plain packaging for cigarettes.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Will plain packages decrease smoking rates? Will other countries follow the model in Australia? Australian officials hope they will. They believe it is a gift they are giving to Australia&rsquo;s people. Australia&rsquo;s Federal Health Minister is Tanya Plibersek. She told reporters from The Age Newspaper:

Voice 4&nbsp;

&ldquo;If we can prevent young people from starting smoking that is a gift to them. And if we can help people who have smoked for a long time then I think we will see a big difference in our smoking rates over coming years.&rdquo;

Voice 1&nbsp;

The writer of this program was Liz Waid. The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at <a href="http://www.radioenglish.net">www.radioenglish.net</a>. This program is called, &lsquo;Cigarettes in Plain Packages&rsquo;.

Voice 2&nbsp;

You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at <a href="mailto:radio@radioenglish.net">radio@radioenglish.net</a>. And you can find us on <a href="http://facebook.com/spotlightradio">Facebook</a> - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.



Question:
Does a product's package influence whether you buy it or not?


