Ethnography and filmmaking for Indigenous anti tobacco social marketing

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.