HOW MEDIA ENCOURAGES OR DISCOURAGES TOBACCO USE:

THE INDIAN PERSPECTIVE…

Karthik Subbaraman and Dr. Prakash C Gupta

Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health14th World Conference on Tobacco Or

Health, Mumbai, IndiaMarch 10, 2009

Flow Story 1: National Survey amongst national media personnel…

Story 2: Bollywood matters…

Story 3: Smokeless tobacco and television soap actors…

Story 4: Corporate Social Responsibility: What ITC hopes to achieve through e-choupal…and how it may be successful in achieving it…

Story 5: Social media…what it has to offer

Story 6: Moral—Rural penetration for profitable rural transformation, web-based message dissemination, and diversification in purpose

Media in India…

Lots of it High on the sensational quotient

Registrar of Newspapers of India

Some salient features: Study findings from the Registrar Council of India

18,07,38,6118,512TOTAL

27,43,665221Others

29,86,25649Annuals

15,52,138219Quarterlies

2,11,36,7101,471Monthlies

1,23,09,948955Fortnightlies

5,05,80,6483,428Weeklies

5,66,19839Tri/Bi-Weeklies

8,88,63,0482,130Dailies

CirculationNumberPeriodicity

THE PRESS IN INDIA IN 2005-06: AT A GLANCE(Data compiled as per the annual statements received)1. Language of dissemination

2. Ownership by the government

3. Issues covered

Story 1: Research study…

Study Regarding Awareness, Attitudes And Beliefs

Regarding Tobacco Control Policies Amongst Media

Personnel In India

The Survey: Objectives

To determine the knowledge, attitudes and belief’s towards tobacco use and tobacco control policies amongst the media personnel in India To assess their support to promote news coverage related to tobacco control issues.To assist in development of an effective training program for a media workshop under planning.

Results of the media surveyNearly half of them (48%) were in the age group of 21-30 years.

61% were newspaper journalists. Only 50% were aware about different diseases caused by tobacco.

Majority (87%) of them believed that strict implementation of policies is desirable even though the prevalence of tobacco use is 23% amongst media personnel.

75% of those who consumed tobacco agreed that media should give coverage to tobacco control issues. Vis-à-vis, 85% of those who did not consume tobacco.

Conclusion from Story 1: Wiring India positively

Story 2: The “Bollywood” factor...

Ideas come and go…stories stay… (The Black Swan)

Hindi Film Industry—Bollywood

Brief case study: ShahRukh Khan—a selling brand name

Worth Rs 150 crores in endorsements

Endorses Sunfeast, Airtel, Pepsi, Emami Sona Chandi Chyawanprash, Videocon, Tag Heur, Mayur Suitings. Lux and Hyundai Santro, and Compaq Presario

SRK—”marketable unit to which a set of associations and benefits, functional and emotional, have become attached.”

Cont…

TRP-promoting exerciseBrand launching platform:

“Among the FMCG companies, ITC hit home with the launch of Bingo potato wafer, Fiama Di Wills soaps and shampoos and, more recently, Vivel soaps and shampoos…during IPL.

Conclusion from Story 2: Entertainment industry provides a platform for brand launches and sustained visibility of consumer

goods…

Story 3: ITC and Corporate Social Responsibility—how

media encourages their acceptability…

E-choupal

ITC: Corporate Social Responsibility‘ITC received the FICCI Outstanding Vision Corporate Triple Impact Award 2007 for invaluable contribution to the triple bottom line benchmarks of building economic, social and natural capital for the nation. Sustainability Leadership Award 2007 conferred on Chairman Y C Deveshwar by the Sustainability Forum, Zurich and SAM/SPG at the International Sustainability Leadership SymposiumBusiness Today Award for the Best Managed Company – Retail and Consumer Products, has been conferred on ITC in recognition of its outstanding initiatives in the consumer products segment.Asian CSR Award 2007 for Environmental Excellence given by the Asian Institute of ManagementRyutaro Hashimoto Incentive Prize 2007 for Environment & Development from the Asia Pacific ForumIn the first of its kind S&P Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) ratingsreleased recently, ITC ranked second among top Indian companies. The Company has won the Corporate Social Responsibility Crown Award for Water Practices from UNESCO and Water Digest for its distinguished work carried out in the water sector in India.NDTV Profit Business Leadership Award for being the Best Food Company of 2007.

Corporate ITC presentation: www.itc.com

E-choupal

EmpoweringRural India

Procuring Media support

Gaining Politicalsupport

Conclusion from story 3: Diversification for support from

stakeholders

Story 4: Smokeless tobacco and their endorsement by television

actors…

Luring the middle class “aspirers”

Conclusion from story 4: Smokeless tobacco is using paid media to target the middle class

Story 5: Social media in India…an opportunity to

strengthen tobacco control?

Exploring New-age medium

Internet—an emerging medium for national advocacy efforts?

Conclusion Media is generally upbeat about tobacco controlEntertainment industry in India plays an important role in determining visibility and acceptability of smoking-related behaviorTobacco industry uses CSR strategically to facilitate marketing of their tobacco products; they also use paid media campaigns to lure their target consumersSocial media could prove as a valuable communications tool to advance our tobacco control efforts

Pointers

Three things that we need to consider in encouraging greater media engagement in tobacco control issues

a. Rural penetrationb. Non-tobacco control issues –related

diversification; for instance, rural microfinance schemes

c. Use of new-age media including the internet

Thank you for your attention

Have a wonderful evening!