Why Cigarette Advertising Is Being Banned

The earliest known marketing for tobacco products occurred in New York City during the 1780s. By the 1920s, cigarette advertising was pervasive in cities throughout the country. In the 1950s, the cigarette companies were a primary source of income for Madison Avenue. The advertising included signage, radio spots and television commercials, all inundating people with a pro-smoking message at every turn.

Targeting Children
These days, we take it for granted that cigarette advertising is being banned and heavily regulated. The idea that cigarette companies market to children is revolting, but this is precisely what was occurring, even as recent as the 1980s and 1990s. The cartoon character Joe Camel, which represented the Camel brand, is a famous example. The horrifying goal was to build a bond with potential consumers at a very young age. After all, most people start smoking as teens and children, not as adults.

The Free Speech Conundrum
Although cigarette advertising is being banned and regulated now, the road there was not an easy one. Important legal battles regarding cigarette advertising have been fought on the grounds of free speech. At what point is the government denying the cigarette companies and the consumers their basic rights? In the U.S., the negative effect on children eventually overrode most of the claims to free speech; nevertheless, in many countries, advertising control is severely limited because of this very issue.

Increased Regulation
In the U.S., strict regulation did not occur overnight. It was, and still is to some degree, a slow process benchmarked by small victories. Perhaps the biggest victories came when the tobacco companies began to lose major lawsuits filed by governments as well as smokers and families of smokers. For instance, many companies lost a lawsuit due to inadequate warning labels, and those victories made it much easier to increase regulation for those warning labels.

Cigarette Advertising
Congress passed an act in 1970 that banned cigarette ads on radio and TV. To this day, cigarette advertising continues legally on billboards and in newspapers and magazines; however, a 2003 agreement between major publishers and the cigarette companies put a stop to all advertisement in editions intended for school libraries. There is now also significant government control over warning labels and advertising directed at children. Cigarette companies have also agreed to advertising control as part of their lawsuit losses.

Outright Banning
Although cigarette advertising is being banned and heavily regulated, it will likely never be outright banned in countries like the U.S. In Canada, the cigarette companies have achieved victories due to their law-given rights, and this has impeded regulation considerably. Australia and the United Kingdom have both had success regulating cigarette advertising similar to the U.S. There are some countries, particularly smaller ones, where the advertising is banned outright. In countries like the U.S., this is unlikely to happen, and the ads will only go away entirely when the market eventually withers and dies.

These days, we take it for granted that cigarette advertising is being banned and heavily regulated.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7271821