Tobacco and Public Health - TCSC Indonesia

NIGEL GRAY
(sometimes at state level, sometimes federal) was required for health warnings; broadcast
media; billboards; print media; and point of sale. Sponsorship of sport was eliminated
indirectly by prohibition of advertising of brand names, which also covered ‘brand
stretching’ (or sale of other products using the brand name, and often trade mark) of
the cigarette. Ultimately overall Federal legislation brought all these individual pieces
together over two decades after the first law was passed for health warnings.
Not all countries have the power to totally abolish tobacco promotion. Both the
United States and the European Union probably lack the powers to do so. No country
can prohibit transnational advertising such as accompanies the formula one grand
prix, both car and motor cycle, although individual countries can prohibit exhibition
of brand names but then face the possibility that such events will be moved elsewhere.
International sports advertising is ubiquitous and uses sports of wide interest such as
car and motorcycle racing, cricket, golf, and soccer.
Voluntary codes for advertising restriction have not been successful. However, if
global advertising is to cease it can probably only be achieved by negotiation with the
international tobacco industry under the sort of litigation-induced duress that brought
about negotiations for a settlement in the United States in 1997 (Gray 1997). Such
negotiations are only conceivable within a framework which envisages acceptance by
both sides that the global tobacco market should shrink. Negotiation with the international
television industry is another conceivable option but similarly difficult, though
not impossible, to achieve.
The relationship between promotion and chemistry
While the contribution of advertising to initiation is undoubted, it is now evident
(Wayne and Connolly 2002) that changes to cigarette design, particularly during
the eighties, led to the cigarettes intended for the ‘young adult smoker’ (YAS) and the
‘first usual brand young adult smoker’ (FUBYAS) being made significantly ‘smoother’
with characteristics of less ‘harshness’, greater ‘mildness’ and ‘lightness’, among other
features. Camel, in particular, developed an advertising campaign using Joe Camel, the
‘smooth character’ in parallel with significant design changes that sent the cigarette’s
chemistry in the direction desired by YAS and FUBYAS. Thus the cigarette became
easier to smoke and easier to learn to smoke, and, as it had higher yields of nicotine, it
may have become more addictive. Between 1987 and 1993, Camel’s market share
among 18-year-olds grew from 2.5% to 14%.
Competitive marketing
The market for cigarettes, and other forms of tobacco, is intensely competitive. While
this persists abolition of promotion will remain extremely difficult. As a matter of policy,
consideration needs to be given to replacing the open marketplace with a centralized,
government-controlled wholesale purchaser for cigarettes, similar to the systems
which operate in many countries for the purpose of purchasing pharmaceutical drugs.
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