Marketing Life after Advertising Bans

Author(s): Todd Harper

Source: Tobacco Control, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Jun., 2001), pp. 196-197
Published by: BMJ
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20207911
Accessed: 29-02-2020 11:24 UTC

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 196 Tobacco Control 2001;10:196-197

AD WATCH

Marketing life after advertising bans

While advertising bans severely restrict the phase in its new strategy to extend the brand's
capacity of the tobacco industry to promote its appeal to younger women.
products, it is intriguing to consider how the The strategy was launched in October 2000,
when Wavesnet was registered as a company
millions of dollars the industry was previously
able to roll out for print, electronic, billboard, and a funky Wavesnet website established
and point of sale advertising campaigns is now (www.wavesnet.net). The website, dealing with
being spent. fashion, bars, and "hip" events and products,
In Australia, all print, radio, and television
was established by Mojo, an advertising agency
advertisements are banned. Point of salemanaging the PM Alpine account.5 A
advertising is banned or being phased out in
background search on the company revealed
most jurisdictions, and only a handful of major that the three directors and company secretary
international sporting events are able to beof Wavesnet were also directors of Mojo or of
sponsored by the tobacco industry prior to aPublicis Communications, which controls
2006 phase out.1 Yet the industry can still Mojo.6 A Philip Morris spokesperson
manage to spend tens of millions of dollars confirmed to the Herald Sun newspaper that
marketing its products. What do they spendPhilip Morris licensed the use of the Wavesnet
this on? Insights were provided recently when trademark to Publicis.
advertising agency Belgiovane Williams The website offers free passes and drinks to
Mackay (BWM) picked up the $A10 millionpeople who subscribe online. Subscribers enter
account for the newest entrant into thepersonal details including name, address,
Australian market, Imperial Tobacco,2 whichtelephone numbers, and email address into the
controls just 16.5% of the market.3 BWM's compulsory fields in the online registration
advertising brief for Imperial was for "below form. For their efforts, and even if under the
the line" marketing activity, including point ofage of 18, they are immediately sent an email
sale material, packaging, events management, message stating in teen chatroom vernacular:
and relationship marketing. "you're in_ wavesnet_ your member no. is_ u and
Event promotion is a key strategy for friend now have_free entry_2 your state's
tobacco companies to promote their products fashion's future designer awards_ on the night_ u
through displays, typically at glamorous party get_ vip status_ free drinks_ a bag_ full of free
settings or popular events, often at adult stuff_ u get 2_ rub shoulders with australia's top
venues, but always where teenagers or young designers_ all u have 2 do is rock up_ and your
adults are present in large numbers. name will b @ the door_ check out_ your state's
details @_ wavesnet.net_ c u there_"
The brazen example described below
The event in question was a glamorous fash
involved an aggressive marketing strategy with
an advertising agency that used the internet, ion event "Who will you be wearing next?"
leverage from non-tobacco brands, gifts with promoting the work of young fashion
purchases of tobacco, and event based marketdesigners.
ing (the sponsorship of young fashion Computer terminals at the Wavesnet events
designers' awards) as core strategies. allowed attendees to sign up on site. Insiders
have suggested that as many as 40 000 people
may be registered on the Wavesnet database.
Wavesnet Wavesnet's general manager confirmed that
In March 1996, Philip Morris became thethere were plans to hold dance parties as well
owner of a trademark called Waves.4 It was as fashion awards nights and that building up a
used to distribute a magazine entitled Wavesdatabase of members' likes and dislikes was
that offered a catalogue of trendy gift ideas and
one of the reasons for the existence of the
fashion shows aimed at a young female market.Wavesnet website.7
The catalogue contained some references to A key element of the strategy is affinity
smoking and some subtle imagery evoking marketing?leveraging
a the power of iconic "to
connection with the PM menthol Alpine brand, die-for" youth brands such as compact discs,
such as images from the Alpine sponsoredconfectionery, lingerie, and clothing with the
women's golf event and Alpine scenerytarget market. By using the Wavesnet brand
reminiscent of the Alpine pack. Alpine is almostand name, Philip Morris was able to keep the
exclusively smoked by women. owners of these brands in the dark about the
The Waves trademark steadily built up aPhilip Morris connection. When they learned
consumer database via the catalogue and valueof the links, all known sponsors expressed their
added gifts offers with tobacco purchase.outrage at the deception and withdrew their
These included a cosmetic pouch, cosmeticsupport.8 The website is also linked from other
mirror, lip liner, diaries, and stylistic salt andsites that appeal to young women, including
pepper shakers with a free extra pack. The www.femail.com.au, that had no idea that they
Waves strategy became a Trojan horse from were in fact dealing with a company backed by
which Philip Morris could unleash the next Philip Morris.9

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Ad Watch 197

Events prom
parties, are
tobacco indu
Melbourne h
has enjoye
sponsorship
company in
er's tickets
flourishing.
exposure of
tomers.

The future
It now appears that events marketing will
remain a key element of the tobacco industry's
future strategies in Australia. The gay commu
nity, young people, and rave and dance party
patrons remain key targets. Quit Victoria is
aware of more examples of "shelf" companies
that have been established which have begun
Figure 1 the process of marketing tobacco
Making Waves.products at N
strategies events.
promote a glamoro
Photograph by Dean Martin
Similar occurrences are now being reported
Neitherin Europe,
the websit
where BAT has been implicated in
printed an internet marketing strategy that entices
advertising m
Morris people to events promoted
pulls thewhere the industry strin
where is able to expose
Philip them to their tobacco
Morris w
supporter products.11 along with
entities. Vigilance
There in monitoring these activities
was that n
Morris are marketed more directly to target markets
controls the is op
attendeescritical. Governments
would will now need to look atbe aw
Philip reforms that stem these practices,
Morris has including ove
It is notbans just
on mobile retailing, adverti
and broader
must d?finitions of "tobacco advertisement" than
counteract,
perceptions among
have been addressed in current legislation.
Restrictions
audience. Wouldshould be broadened to include you
tobacco colours and imagery that evoke connections
company pro
they be with tobacco brands, and electronic and audio
willing to pr
fying messages, and to restrict further the display of
information to
At the state
tobacco products?ultimatelyfinal
banning tobacco of
wearing next?"
packs from public display. event
ees were given TODD HARPERfre
products
Quit Victoria, from th
included 100lingerie,
Drummond Street, jew
pads, Carlton 3053,
magazines, CD
There Victoria, Australia
was an Alpine
todd. harper@accv. org. au
dressed in Alpine gree
at about $1.50 (or
recommended retail
1 Wooldridge M. Australian Health Minister. Media release,
10 October, 2000. http://www.health.gov.au/mediarel/
featured yr2000/mw/mw20100.htm,
extensive accessed 23 January 2001
d
packet colours,
2 B&T Weekly, 9 June 2000, p 2. while v
ion identities
3 Philip Morris Australia Financial Report, 31 December and
1999. Australian Securities and Investments Commission,
attendance. http://www.asc.gov.au,Anaccessed 24 November 2000 unatt
display was prominen
4 Intellectual Property Australia, http://pericles.ipaustralia.
from which gov.au/atmoss/falcon. application.start,
several accessed 4 Decem p
ber 2000.
ing packets, although
5 AC Nielson Top 100. Retail Wbrld 16-17 November 2000, p
that they 13. were not fr
able 6sale. for
Murrill M. Business briefs. Business Review Weekly 2000;
22(46). http://www.brw.com.au/newsadmin/stories/brw/
An organiser 20001124/8058.htm, accessed 23 January 2001. for o
revealed 7 Moor,
that, K. Teenage fun bankrolled by tobacco
in giant. Herald retur
Sun 11 December 2000, p 4. http://news.com.au/common/
sorship dollarsstory_page/0,4057,1506226%255E421,00.html, accessedfor a
2000, Philip 23 January 2001. Morris w
8 Moor K. Herald Sun, 11 December 2000, p 4.
ours to be evident
9 Moor K. Herald Sun, 11 December 2000, p 15.
at t
sellers in10 Te Koha fetching
N. Herald Sun, 14 December 2000, p 18. ou
floors looking
11 Rogers D. The Guardian 24 January 2001. for cust

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