| A myriad of factors have been found to contribute to cigarette consumption, and determining the exact impact of advertising, if any, has remained an elusive but coveted goal for academicians and practitioners alike. But because previous research and reviews on the effect of cigarette advertising on cigarette consumption report mixed results, the effectiveness of cigarette advertising, according to the large body of extant empirical research, is equivocal. To ascertain the efficacy of cigarette advertising, the current research is a narrative review followed by a quantitative integration (meta-analysis) of all the available published cigarette advertising research conducted to determine what impact, if any, advertising has on smoking initiation or onset, continuation or maintenance, and brand behavior (i.e., brand loyalty and switching). Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to review a fragmented and confusing body of literature in an unbiased manner using social learning theory as a theoretical framework to shed light on our understanding of the effect, or lack thereof, of advertising on consumers' beginning and maintaining an unhealthy behavior.; The meta-analysis shows that cigarette advertising is not a significant predictor of cigarette initiation or cigarette continuation, and thus the results of this dissertation challenge the efficacy of cigarette advertising's effect on primary demand. Then again, as expected, cigarette advertising is shown to be a significant predictor of cigarette brand loyalty and brand switching behavior. Because advertising was found to be a relatively unimportant factor in primary demand for cigarettes, consequently, advertising does not appear to be salient in a consumer's decision regarding beginning or maintaining cigarette smoking.; An analysis of moderator variables finds that the quality of the research, including the type of research (econometric vs. survey), theoretical basis (if any), and the measurement of the predictor variable has a significant effect on the results shown. In addition, the influence of advertising on brand behavior was found to be greater for adults than for adolescents. The identification of these relevant moderator variables will consequently aid in directing future research efforts. |
