When images become products: visual strategies of the tobacco market in a brazil–paraguay border territory
1
Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2
Fiocruz Amazônia: ILMD, Manaus, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3256
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
Border regions represent critical spaces for tobacco control, as regulatory asymmetries, informal markets and weak enforcement facilitate the circulation of tobacco products. In twin cities such as Ponta Porã (Brazil) and Pedro Juan Caballero (Paraguay), points of sale operate as key sites of promotion, where visual strategies replace traditional advertising. Previous studies have shown that packaging and product display function as central marketing devices in contexts of regulatory vulnerability.¹² This study analyzes how visual aesthetics are mobilized to legitimize tobacco products, circumvent regulations and segment consumers in a cross-border setting. A qualitative visual study was conducted based on photographs and videos collected during a technical field visit to the Brazil–Paraguay border in July 2024. Inspired by situated digital methods, the analysis examined an empirical archive of images across three layers: product visibility, visual grammar and symbolic content, following approaches proposed in visual digital methods research.³ Three dominant visual strategies were identified: child-oriented appeal, luxury/status appeal and rustic/informal presentation. Child-oriented products employed bright colors, playful icons and candy-like aesthetics, normalizing consumption and targeting young audiences. Luxury-oriented packaging used dark palettes, metallic tones and minimalist design to dissociate tobacco from health risks and reframe it as a symbol of distinction. Rustic and informal displays naturalized tobacco use as an everyday practice in precarious settings. Similar to findings from studies on point-of-sale marketing, the strategic use of color and visual composition functioned as mechanisms of regulatory evasion and symbolic legitimization.¹⁴ Visual aesthetics play a central role in sustaining tobacco markets in border territories marked by regulatory vulnerability. By transforming packaging and product display into persuasive visual devices, the tobacco industry adapts its strategies to contexts of informality and weak governance. Incorporating visual analysis into tobacco control research is essential to inform policies addressing cross-border trade, youth protection and regulatory enforcement.
Border regions represent critical spaces for tobacco control, as regulatory asymmetries, informal markets and weak enforcement facilitate the circulation of tobacco products. In twin cities such as Ponta Porã (Brazil) and Pedro Juan Caballero (Paraguay), points of sale operate as key sites of promotion, where visual strategies replace traditional advertising. Previous studies have shown that packaging and product display function as central marketing devices in contexts of regulatory vulnerability.¹² This study analyzes how visual aesthetics are mobilized to legitimize tobacco products, circumvent regulations and segment consumers in a cross-border setting. A qualitative visual study was conducted based on photographs and videos collected during a technical field visit to the Brazil–Paraguay border in July 2024. Inspired by situated digital methods, the analysis examined an empirical archive of images across three layers: product visibility, visual grammar and symbolic content, following approaches proposed in visual digital methods research.³ Three dominant visual strategies were identified: child-oriented appeal, luxury/status appeal and rustic/informal presentation. Child-oriented products employed bright colors, playful icons and candy-like aesthetics, normalizing consumption and targeting young audiences. Luxury-oriented packaging used dark palettes, metallic tones and minimalist design to dissociate tobacco from health risks and reframe it as a symbol of distinction. Rustic and informal displays naturalized tobacco use as an everyday practice in precarious settings. Similar to findings from studies on point-of-sale marketing, the strategic use of color and visual composition functioned as mechanisms of regulatory evasion and symbolic legitimization.¹⁴ Visual aesthetics play a central role in sustaining tobacco markets in border territories marked by regulatory vulnerability. By transforming packaging and product display into persuasive visual devices, the tobacco industry adapts its strategies to contexts of informality and weak governance. Incorporating visual analysis into tobacco control research is essential to inform policies addressing cross-border trade, youth protection and regulatory enforcement.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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