Advocacy group calls for end to ‘Be Marlboro’ campaign
A report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and other organizations claims that Marlboro’s ads are geared toward teens. Marlboro says that’s just not so.
The report details how [Philip Morris] uses marketing tactics in its “Be Marlboro” campaign that are effective at reaching youth and have been banned in many countries. These include advertising on billboards, bus stops and outside retail stores that associate Marlboro with risk-taking, exploration, freedom and defying authority. Ads feature images of attractive young people partying, falling in love, playing music and engaging in adventure sports such as snowboarding and surfing.
In response to the report, Philip Morris issued a statement to Advertising Age, which said, in part:
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