FOCUS: ABN-MEDIA ASIAN ADVERTISING INDUSTRY POLL
Media, 31 October 1997, page 6.

98.5 per cent believe in the products they promote
35% say smoking is their worst vice

Industry in favour of tobacco controls

In a surprise move, the Asian advertising industry has shown
its support for tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising
and promotion, despite the fact that this would affect
billings and, essentially, make their lives more difficult.

The results of Wave #10 of the ABN-MEDIA Asian Advertising
Industry Poll show that overall, 63 per cent of respondents
feel that the tobacco industry should not allowed to promote
their product freely in Asia. 

Among the respondents, creative directors felt more strongly
about this, with 73 per cent disagreeing that
restriction-free tobacco promotion should be re-instated.

Sixty-four per cent of media directors and 59 per cent of
managing directors also felt the same way.

In Taiwan, however, an overwhelming 100 per cent said
tobacco companies should not be allowed to promote their
product freely in Asia, with nearly 92 per cent of
respondents in Singapore agreeing. 

Respondents from Malaysia, meanwhile, favoured a more
relaxed approach, with 57 per cent saying that tobacco
should be allowed to simply get on and promote itself
without hindrance.

Respondents' reaction to this issue was even more
interesting in the light of their response to the questions
"Do you believe in what you promote?" and "Do you believe in
advertising?" 

In both cases, 98.5 per cent answered "Yes". 

This suggests two things: 

1)   That a significant proportion feel tobacco companies
should not be allowed to promote their product freely
because they do not believe in the product and 

2) That they believe that tobacco advertising does work. 

Aside from the tobacco issue, it is heartening to note that
advertising practitioners do actually believe in what they
do, and they believe their work is effective and achieves
its aims. 

Another link to the tobacco issue surfaced in response to
the question "What is your worst vice?", when 35 per cent
confessed that smoking was their worst habit. 

This, in turn, suggests that smokers in the ad industry are
victims of their own success at promoting the tobacco
industry. 

The results of the poll come at a time when Asian nations
are, in fact, tightening restrictions on tobacco advertising
- both Korea and Japan (MEDIA, October 17) recently
announced new laws which will make the advertising and
marketing of all tobacco products more difficult than ever. 

Earlier this year, Hong Kong saw new legislation put in
place which is aimed to wipe out even below-the-line tobacco
advertising, such as event sponsorship.

The noose is tightening on the tobacco industry worldwide,
what with landmark legal decisions made against major
tobacco companies in the US, who are finding themselves
forced to pay millions of dollars in damages to smokers now
suffering from ailments such as lung cancer. 

The significance of this is that for the first time, tobacco
companies have admitted that their products are not only
harmful to health, but addictive.


Box: Should tobacco companies be allowed 
to promote their products freely in Asia?

                    YES       NO   
Hong Kong           43.5      56.5
Malaysia            57.1      42.9
Singapore            8.3      91.7
Taiwan               0       100.0 
Thailand            45.5      54.5

end