Overall findings
This concept was not well-received by participants for a few reasons. First the tagline was seemingly targeted to a specific group of smokers, and therefore did not motivate most participants to continue reading. Although the colours were well-liked, the groups said the picture was unclear and not in-line with the rest of the message. There was also a strong dislike with use of the word “abortion” and its connotations. Credibility of the information was good, but noticeably lower in Montreal. Relevance and memorability were both weak.
Specific findings
Initial impressions:
This concept did not resonate very well overall with participants.
Ability of flap/top of the insert to get attention and motivate reading:
The tagline “during the first three…” on the teaser automatically screened out most participants in the groups as they said they were not in that situation, and therefore only a small number of smokers felt compelled to turn over the pack or read the rest of the insert.
“The colour was nice. I don’t care about this, but the colour is nice.”
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Ability of the main message to motivate reading:
As was said about the flap, the same applies to the headline for this message.
Understanding of the message and meaning:
Overall, this message was understood. Some women, however, thought that it gave them the go-ahead to only quit smoking after three months of pregnancy.
Relevance:
This message was seen to be relevant only to expectant mothers and some young women in the groups who were planning on having children in the near future.
“If pregnant there is a possibility of having a smaller baby….means nothing to me. Don’t care. We are done having children.”
“This is not directed at me, it’s directed at pregnant women.”
Ability to inform and educate:
This message about smoking during pregnancy was not particularly new to participants.
Credibility:
The information in this message (the harmful effects of smoking on a baby) was disputed by some in Montreal but was generally not questioned in Toronto and Calgary.
“It’s common sense that if you’re pregnant you shouldn’t be smoking.”
« Mes parents n'ont jamais cessé de fumer…et je suis ok. »
Readability and Visibility:
As was the case with all concepts in this series, there were some issues with the colours. The light green on white at the bottom in particular, and the sizes of the fonts were found to be too small for many.
« Moi, encore une fois, c’est trop petit, et on peut faire un résumé. »
« “Les 3 premiers mois” : le “3” est en vert et “mois” est en vert. Je les aurais mis en blanc, j’aurais changé les lettres, plus en gras. Je trouve ça encore trop petit. »
Quality and effectiveness of text:
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The headline on the main message was seen as far too long by many participants. The word “abortion” garnered an emotional response from women in particular, who did not like that term at all; “miscarriage” was found to be a better term. The problem remained though that it puts a lot of guilt on expectant mothers who run into problems. There were some, especially in Montreal, who had significant issues with “finger pointing” at smokers. As well, some mentioned that “most effective” was probably overstated to them.
“I think it is pretty harsh. You could have a spontaneous abortion for a million different reasons.”
Layout and Design:
The colour for this was well-liked in general, but the picture was typically not well received. Especially on the flip top packs, but to a certain extent also on the slide and shells, most participants said they did not understand what it was.
Cohesiveness of picture/visuals and text:
If participants did see the people with arms up to the sky, they were typically not sure how it fit in with the rest of the message.
“It is just two people who look like they climbed a mountain. Would be more effective if it showed a family holding a kid up.”
Ability to be memorable:
Only some younger women said this message would stick with them.
Makes participants think about quitting?
This message did not make any of the men in the groups think of quitting.
Some younger women who did not have children said they would quit anyway when they wanted to get pregnant; this message alone did not make them think of quitting.
« Encore on me culpabilise. On nous explique ce qui va mal, mais c’est sûr que quand je serai enceinte, je vais arrêter. »
Flip-Top vs. Slide-and-Shell:
Reactions to both sizes were virtually the same.
Suggestions:
• Some suggested wording changes were: “miscarriage” instead of
“spontaneous abortion” and “an effective method” instead of “the most effective method”.
• Instead of the tag line “during the first three months…”, participants suggested using “planning on getting pregnant?” which they believe
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would draw in more people and would make them more curious about the rest of the message.
• Participants felt the picture should be changed to show the negative results of smoking during pregnancy, using a family with a child or a pregnant woman (smoking). Conversely, it was suggested to use a positive picture of a pregnant woman (see comment in
“cohesiveness”).
• Many suggested making the first sentence shorter and punchier to draw people in and to change the combination of the blue sky with the white text to make the text stand out more.
Concept Classification:
Best concepts (overall) - needs only minor adjustments Good opportunity - needs some improvements
Needs major improvement
Least effective - needs complete rethink/rework