Abstract
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The smoking rates of 82% in Aboriginal communities of North East
Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia are the highest in
the country (Robertson et al. 2013). Macassan traders introduced
tobacco as a trading commodity (Berndt, 1954) in Aboriginal
communities in the 18th century and has since become part of
culture. The influence of the Methodist Mission (Cole 1979) has also
had a profound effect on tobacco consumption. Anti tobacco social
marketing that is sensitive to Indigenous culture and history supports
a more complex and gradual approach to reducing uptake amongst
young people. The limitations of the Health Belief Model and the
Theory of Planned Behaviour commonly used for social marketing in
this context are due to the cultural value of tobacco in traditional
reciprocal relationships and ceremonial practice. Through a
combination of ethnography and filmmaking, this project was able to
capture and showcase the cultural and historical factors of smoking
in a format that is respectful to local culture, specifically in Indigenous
anti tobacco social marketing. The use of ethnography and Consumer
Culture Theory (CCT) (Arnould and Thompson 2005) for social
marketing in this context, addresses the dynamic relationships
between consumer actions, the marketplace, and cultural meanings
in a culturally relevant and conceptually meaningful manner. The ethnographic film is a collection of interviews as a result of
introspection found in postmodern consumer research and combines
insider and outsider views to provide deeper insights (Goulding,
2005) into the challenge of tackling smoking in the region.