Cigarette Ads

[TheRake]

I just heard an advertisement on the radio for Philip Morris. Maybe you have heard these ads before. They basically talk about how you shouldn't smoke, and how you should tell your kids not to smoke, and thier product has serious health effects, etc etc. Why on earth would P.M. spend money on such advertising? You would never see McDonalds or Budweiser spending money to tell people how bad thier product is for your health. So why do the cigarette companies do it? It doesn't make much business sense. Or maybe it does...I don't know.

A couple quotes from the Philip Morris Web Site (http://www.pmusa.com/home.asp) state the following:

"Beyond the requirements of the tobacco settlement agreement, Philip Morris USA also believes that we have an important role to play in helping to prevent youth smoking. As the manufacturer of a product intended for adults that has serious health effects, we have a responsibility to help prevent kids from smoking. Since its inception in 1998, our Youth Smoking Prevention department has spent over $500 million on youth smoking prevention and youth access prevention initiatives."

and

"In every case, we strictly comply with the settlement agreement. In many cases, our marketing standards go beyond what the settlement agreement requires. We believe that going over and above what's required by the tobacco settlement agreement is an essential component of being a responsible marketer of tobacco products."

Is this legitimate or is it a reverse psychology thing?

For the record, other than the occasional cigar I am not a tabacco user. Non-smokers please don't flame me I'm just curious /images/graemlins/grin.gif

TheRake

[Toro]

My guess is that it is a strategy to protect them from future wrongful death lawsuits.

[GuyOnTilt]

...or is it a reverse psychology thing?

Bingo.

Humans tend to rebel against restrictions that are seen as telling them they're inferior. That's just what we do. When tabacco companies started to put ads in comic book and teen mags saying "Tabacco is wakko for kids", underage smoking went up. It's why Philip Morris spends so much on anti-youth-smoking ads and why they push for age restriction on tabacco products so much. They even send out signs and stickers to distributors reading "We Card : It's the Law." It's just flaunting in front of kids and telling them that they're inferior and not good or smart or responsible enough to buy. What do you think kids do when they're told that?

I'm not an anti-Philip Morris guy or anything, but there are groups who push for boycotting their products, which include names like Nabisco, Jell-O, Kraft, Oscar Meyer, Miracle Whip, Velveeta, Tombstone Pizza, Bulls Eye BBQ Sauce, Taco Bell foods, Altoids, Philidephia Cream Cheese, Post Cereals, Maxwell House, Stove Top Stuffing, Kool Aid, and those off the top of my head. I'm sure there are a ton of other big name common items Philip Morris owns.

GoT

[TheRake]

That would be my guess too, but why spend money on ads discouraging people from using your product? They obviously don't mean it? There are warnings written all over the packaging and at the bottom of print ads in magazines. Not to mention the amount of negative media they receive. So why add to the piling on? They are going above and beyond what they are legally obligated to do. I figure they must think that either it doesn't matter or that it actually helps them sell more cigarettes. After all kids want to do what they are not allowed to do.

TheRake

[Joseph Busti]

This post reminds me of that Harrah's jack ass that gets on tv telling you not to gamble if...................blah blah blah.

[Joseph Busti]

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My guess is that it is a strategy to protect them from future wrongful death lawsuits.


[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
but why spend money on ads discouraging people from using your product?

[/ QUOTE ]

I assume it is cheaper to do the advertising than settling all of the lawsuits????

[craig r]

No, I truly believe that PM doesn't want kids starting to smoke. They want people to wait until they are 18. Give me a break. I forgot what % of people started smoking at 18 or older, but it is really small. I started when I was 13 (i was so cool /images/graemlins/cool.gif). This company, along with RJ and the others, put free cigarrettes in arcades in other countries. And they want us to believe they give a [censored] about young kids smoking in the U.S. I have only quit smoking now for almost 2 months. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. But, when I did smoke, the worst part to me was knowing that some guys were getting rich off of me killing myself. PM is a horrible company. It truly bothers me that cig. companies can get away with so much, yet my friend who got caught with a dimebag spends the night in jail. there is my great rant /images/graemlins/wink.gif

craig

[James Boston]

Nabisco is owned by RJ Reynolds, whose primary brands are Winston and Camel. I'm not sure about the other brands you mentioned.

[J.R.]

Beyond the requirements of the tobacco settlement agreement,

Phillip Morris is contractually obligated to run these anti-smoking ads in the settlement. Phillip Morris' statements are trying to spin this fact by contending they run these adds for reasons beyond the fact that they are contractually obligated to via the settlement. There are also marketing reasons why they might push this idea or run more than they have to, but the fact is they have to provide these ads.

[craig r]

I know Kraft and Miller are Phillip Morris.

craig

[GuyOnTilt]

Nabisco is owned by RJ Reynolds, whose primary brands are Winston and Camel. I'm not sure about the other brands you mentioned.

You made me think my memory sucked, so I looked it up. Nabisco Holding Corp was purchased by Philip-Morris for $18.9B, which is the maker of the crackers and cookies and stuff. Nabisco Group Holding Corp was purchased by RJR for $9.8B, the holding company of Nabisco. Nabisco is now integrated with Kraft Foods and is part of the Philip-Morris family.

GoT

[Ray Zee]

and seeing what they do with cigs. can you trust the food they sell. they lied about their products for years now have moved into our food supply. same people different product. if you didnt smoke their stuff you can eat their other products.

in their settlement for causing lots of grief in the world they have to run these ads. but it seems to me the ads dont really look like ads against smoking but are ads directing you to their site or product.

[Abednego]

PM is the 800 lb gorilla with over 50% market share in the cigarette industry. If they were to accomplish their goal (as well as the government's) of a complete and total ban (including the use of highly colorful eye-catching signage in tobacco outlets) of all advertising, whose brand do you think smokers will choose most often when even the cartons themselves are mandated to remain from view? I'll tell which brand .... Marlboro ....... the most highly recognizable and successful consumer good brand in the world.

[J.A.Sucker]

Of course these ads direct attention to them. The tobacco settlement was perhaps the biggest joke ever; they have to give some money to the settlements (actually, this was great for the ciggarette giants, since it helped bankrupt their smaller competitors), and then they have to make X millions worth of "PSA" radio and TV commercials, which they get write off as a charitible contribution to society. Thus, they are GETTING PAID to advertise in the two largest media outlets, which they were previously forbidden to do. OK, so we have LESS COMPETITION, and get PAID TO ADVERTISE!!! Seems like a good deal for me. Where do I sign up? I have never seen anything written about this in the media, but the facts are obvious and undeniable. Chalk another HUGE victory up for the most powerful lobby in the U.S. - talk about making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

[NLSoldier]

I thought they were ordered to spend X number of dollars on anti smoking ads because they lost a lawsuit or somthing.

[TheRake]

If this is all true I think the saying goes something like

Only in America!!

TheRake

[James Boston]

I stand corrected