Background:
Packaging and labelling of tobacco products are the first contact between the tobacco industry and the smoker. It´s design works as an image for the brand, to attract potential clients.
Other studies make in Panama, focused this investigation, on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products, to uncover the perception about marketing characteristics used by the tobacco industry in the packaging of its products. The results were useful to implement plain packed and increase the amount of the warnings up to 80 to 85% in Panama.

Methods:
The sample size was of 890 subjects selected to convenience, was applied an electronic observational guide, with questions about design, location, content, dimensions, shape, use of misleading terminology, and sanitary warnings on the boxes. We included cigarette boxes of different sizes with warnings and a standardized cigarette box on a software to validate and collect the data.

Results:
Most reported characteristics: Brilliant colors: 50; appealing logo: 22.5%; sanitary messages in text:11.7%, soft/light product:6.4%
Times that the sanitary warning was noticed: frequent to very frequent:62.4%
Times that the image with the sanitary messages regarding negative effects on health was noticed: frequent to very frequent:71.9%
Times they read or paid attention to the sanitary messages: frequent to very frequent: 50%; 9.0% of smokers had never read them.
Times the messages on tobacco products that make them consider the damage smoking causes: frequent to very frequent:79.3%
Colors on the cigarette box: White, gold and silver: Soft/ultrasoft;
Color blue: Fresh 23.3%;
Color green: menthol 51.9%;
Color black and strong red: 80%
Simple packaging: Not attractive. They are indifferent to it and reported they would not buy it:68.1%

Conclusions:
The population supports increasing the size of warnings and plain packaging.