The tabacco advertising laws are pathetic

[Damon]

What do the european governments take us for? They beleive that by removing tabacco advertising from F1 less people will smoke!! This is insane, I find it insulting that the decision makers of the world feel we all lack the intelligance to make up our own minds about our choice of life style and that putting advertising on those shinny cars will brain wash us into taking up this terrible habbit.

I have followed F1 for as long as I can remember yet I don't smoke and nor does my Dad, who is also an avid fan of the sport. My Mum however is not a fan and smokes like a chimney :confused: .

I am aware that this is far from a new topic but with the latest stories of escalating costs and teams going under I see a key mode of finance being removed from F1 for little more than pollitical correctness. It's pathetic.

[f1manoz]

The law makers seem to think that kids will smoke because a car will carry Marlboro or Benson & Hedges on the car or a camel will be smoking. WRONG!! Kids smoke for the same reason adults smoke - to relieve stress.

I've been watching F1 for years now and never taken up the habit. Sure, I've tried it but it wasn't because McLaren at the time happened to be painted red and white and carried a big black Marlboro sign on it's rear wing.

Some teams have already managed to cover their finances by finding non-tobacco sponsors. Williams are the best example. But at the other end of the spectrum, look at Prost. They lost Gauloises as their major sponsor at the end of 2000, and look where they are now.

But the FIA and EU are just following the line that nearly every Western country is now taking. Tobacco advertising in Australia has been banned for a number of years now and F1 and CART are the only sports that allow tobacco advertising.

[drexel]

They might not encourage people to start but they could influence the smoker's choice of brand. Besides, their big target audience is the 3rd world these days.

Anyway, it can't be to long before they cure cancer and then smoking will probably reach a new high.

[RT]

I agree that the true target is the third world, where tobacco advertising on a flashy F-1 car might bring an aura of sophistication that young people in, say Timbuktu, will find hard to resist.

It is also true that it's a personal decision but peer pressure can mean a lot one way or another. In my case, I became a non-smoker for life when many years ago, I anounced to my girlfriend that I might start smoking.... her response, to the effect that she wouldn't kiss me because the mouth of a tobacco smoker tastes like s--t (pardon my Latin), got me off the habit before I even started. Bless her heart....

[Bononi]

I fear to say that advertising work and work very well. Any of us can say that it doesn't influentiate ourselves or people we know, but it's not what happens. I think they call it submilinal message, correct me please if I'm wrong. It goes directly to people's brain, and associates smoke to success,beatiful women,richness,fast cars and etc... So unconsciously if one needs to smoke, one will choose the brand.
The younger people are the preferred target because they are unexperienced and eager to try.

[Alan Jones]

Right on target Bon.
This indeed works and can examples can be seen thruout the world these days. Manufacturers pay big $$$$$$$$ to get space in movies so if the leading lady goes to the fridge for a drink, it'll be a" diet coke" for example.

There have also been studies done on how colour affects our moods as you are all aware and this is why many fast food joints are " hot " colours such as red, yellow, orange etc etc. These colours tend to increase our appetite but soon after eating, become uncomfortable areas to be in. This was explained to me by my boss in a paint manufacturing business over 15 years ago so if i have some of the above mixed up, please accept apologies

[Glen]

Anyone who thinks that tobacco advertising doesn't work either hasn't thought it through, or is blind to how the modern capitalist world works. "Advertising" at all levels runs through the very core of how our economy works - and it definately does work.

[Morris 1100]

Didn't Jochen Rindt die because of cigarettes?

[Damon]

The strangest thing at present is that the cars have to run in non-tabacco form in France and Britain, yet whilst I live in Britain I am fully aware of Mclaren and Ferrari's title sponsors.

Besides this an alternative form of revenue teams such as Jaguar and Williams have found, is alcohol!! Is it therefore ok to associate drink with driving?

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Morris 1100
Didn't Jochen Rindt die because of cigarettes?

No, but it seems he may have done if he had lived... if you forgive the irony in that statement. He was well addicted to smokes, but died because of a faulty piece of machining or metal or design in a brake drive shaft.

[Morris 1100]

Originally posted by Ray Bell


No, but it seems he may have done if he had lived... if you forgive the irony in that statement. He was well addicted to smokes, but died because of a faulty piece of machining or metal or design in a brake drive shaft.

Ray if Chapman had not had cigarette sponsorship he wouldn't have been able to outbid Jack Brabham for his services!

[Number Juan]

its a load of cod's wallops if u ask me. i mean when i see an f1 car, i dont think "mmmmm i could really do with a marlbor right away" its stupid!!!

i think it would be cheaper to de-nationalise the NHS!!!

[BootsOntheSide]

Although I personlly have a deep hatred of tobacco, its smell, its allegedly cool image and tobacco manufacturers, I have to agree. i can't see why this is an issue when in most nations football (soccer) teams are allowed to be sponsored by alcohol companies (Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, glasgow Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur all ahve in recent years) when football and alcohol can be such a dangerous combination as both can bring out a man's thuggish side.

[Bononi]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
Although I personlly have a deep hatred of tobacco, its smell, its allegedly cool image and tobacco manufacturers, I have to agree. i can't see why this is an issue when in most nations football (soccer) teams are allowed to be sponsored by alcohol companies (Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, glasgow Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur all ahve in recent years) when football and alcohol can be such a dangerous combination as both can bring out a man's thuggish side.

You're right, Boots.

But... funny, here this is not allowed...

[Don K]

Originally posted by Damon
What do the european governments take us for? They beleive that by removing tabacco advertising from F1 less people will smoke!! This is insane

It looks as if a lot of tobacco companies do think that advertising in F1 helps their sales in some way ...

In fact, advertising for tobacco products has been illegal in the EU for some time now (the advertising ban started more than 15 years ago), but F1 was given a couple of years extra -- just to give them enough time to find other sponsors.