In the midst of this activity there was a need to define today's smoker in order to accurately develop and inform future strategies.

Method: The research method included 10 discussion groups with a total of 79 smokers ages: 18-24, 25-34, 35-49 and 50+. Locations included Sydney, Parramatta and Dubbo. Sampling criteria included smoking at least five cigarettes a day, smokers thinking of quitting in the next 12 months, males and females and smokers from a low to middle SES.

Results: A number of new insights emerged in the following themes: • The current psychosocial role of smoking • The impact of the legal and cultural smoking environment • Need for quitting strategies • Behavioural manifestations of smoking as an addiction • Perceptions of health consequences and related messages • The impact of ongoing quit of anti-smoking advertising

Conclusions: This paper will reveal details of an increasingly marginalised group of individuals as a result of a range of tobacco control initiatives, including advertising. It will explore how smokers downplay the role of smoking in their lives, although their behaviour reflects differently. The research again confirms that health consequences must be positioned as an inevitable result of smoking rather than risk.

Implications: The smokers' environment has changed substantially in recent years. Programs and campaigns need to reflect and acknowledge this change to maximise impact.