Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Health

Big Tobacco will run anti-smoking ads, one decade after court order

Anti-tobacco advocates are furious the delay will make the campaign less effective.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
November 21, 2017
in Health, News

Anti-smoking ads, paid for by Philip Morris USA and British American Tobacco, will air on prime-time television for one whole year, starting this weekend. A federal court ordered tobacco companies 11 years ago to advertise the deadly effects of smoking on TV after it was proven that the public was deceived about the dangers of smoking.

Big Tobacco forced to admit ‘yes, our products kill people’

Infuriated by the billions the government spent and continues to spend on healthcare for smokers, the Clinton Administration filed a lawsuit in 1999 against tobacco corporations, which were accused of willfully deceiving the public. ‘Big Tobacco’ eventually lost in 2006 after a federal judge ruled that tobacco companies had “lied, misrepresented and deceived the American public” about the effects of smoking for more than 50 years.

Since racketeering laws didn’t allow the judge to force the companies to pay, they were ordered to publish ‘corrective statements’ in advertisements, but also on the companies’ affiliated websites, cigarette packs, and store branding.

However, it took 11 years for the court order to finally produce results. Since then, television networks and newspapers have lost a huge fraction of their audience, especially youngsters who are more interested in alternative channels, like social media. According to research, 9 out 10 smokers start before age 18, a demographic that is woefully missing exposure to today’s anti-smoking ads. Less than 5 percent of today’s network TV viewers are younger than 25 years, according to Nielsen TV. For this reason, many NGOs have lamented that the huge delay has made the campaign far less effective than it could have been.

tobacco-ad
Credit: Department of Justice.

The ads themselves — which will air five times per week for a whole year on TV and five times over several months in about 50 national daily papers — are bland black on white text narrated by a monotonous voice, in the case of the TV ads.

anti-tobacco ads
Credit: Department of Justice.

Some of the statements include “More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes, and alcohol combined” or “Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer and coronary heart disease in adults who do not smoke,” and tobacco companies will admit they “intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive.”

Anti-tobacco advocates estimate the whole campaign won’t cost more than $30 million, which is just a fraction of the $8 billion that tobacco companies pay annually on marketing, including print advertising, mailed coupons, and store displays.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, being responsible for 480,000 deaths annually and costing $170 billion in healthcare expenses.

[ALSO READ] Anti-smoking images on cigarette packs are twice as effective than text-only, ‘smoking kills’ labels

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Brain fMRI study predicts efficiency of anti-smoking Ads
  2. The WHO calls for governments to boycott anti-smoking Foundation funded by big tobacco
  3. Anti-smoking images on cigarette packs are twice as effective than text-only, ‘smoking kills’ labels
  4. Wisconsin stay-at-home order gets tossed by the state’s Supreme Court
  5. Most anti-vaccine ads you see on Facebook are paid by just two organizations
Tags: tobacco

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW