EMPLOYING BILLBOARD MARKETING AS A TOBACCO DE-MARKETING STRATEGY FOR YOUNG ADULTS

The current study examined the influence of billboard marketing (independent variable /Color & Size, Celebrity Images, Brand Image & Logo, and Texture and Message; dependent variable / young adults' attention) as a demarketing strategy for tobacco consumption among young adults. Quantitative approach was used, and an online questionnaire was distributed to a sample of (438) consumers in Jordan. Results of study indicated that billboard demarketing could influence young adults' attention towards consuming tobacco, as well as, respondents had a good level of awareness regarding billboard marketing as they were able to respond to the questionnaire with minimum help. All sub-hypotheses were also accepted, and it was seen that the highest influential sub-variable was texture and message, with a variance of 38.8%, meaning that the messages held within billboards can influence how young adults view tobacco consumption. Study concluded that billboard marketing is sufficient to provide a competitive advantage for the organization by referring to the chosen location, the size of the advertisement, and the way it is presented. However, they are forced to see it because it is on crowded roads and public places, so the "Skip the ad" option is usually unavailable in this type of marketing strategy, which increases the brand's chances of reaching a larger number of consumers. The study recommended the need to define marketing objectives as a first step before choosing the strategy to be adopted for marketing in a manner that is compatible with the available financial resources. Further recommendations were presented in the study.