Tobacco marketing thrives, despite ban

Despite a ban of all forms of tobacco advertising, recognition of cigarette brands remains as high as 64% among children from non-smoking families, largely due to point-of-sale advertising and sponsorship.The findings, released by the Worth Health Organisation ahead of World No Tobacco day, follows a call for a comprehensive ban against all forms of tobacco advertising including point-of-sale promotions and even cultural or sports-related sponsorship.In Hong Kong tobacco products can not be promoted on television, radio, newspapers or magazines, but the industry still finds ways around that ban.Point-of-sale at convenience stores are not uncommon in Hong Kong, sponsored newspaper stalls sometimes coloured to match cigarette brands, along with sponsored events in clubs and advertising on digital and social media platforms.One such digital campaign Match Mismatch operated by Philip Morris International, aims to match you personality with a particular type of brand.One PR firm hired to encourage patrons of a night club told me the aim was not to promote a specific tobacco brand."We're here to collect data, we don't sell cigarettes," she said.A Department of Health spokesperson said the Government has adopted a "progressive and multi-pronged approach" to combating tobacco advertising, including legislation, enforcement, publicity, education, smoking cessation and taxation.But the World Health Organisation insists that companies still flaunt the laws."To subvert marketing bans, the tobacco industry has shifted to forms of indirect advertising, such as sponsorship of sports or cultural events and viral marketing, including word-of-mouth marketing," the WHO said via a statement.The theme of World No Tobacco Day this year is "Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship".