War of words on tobacco marketing far from over

By MAXINE FRITH in London

White is the new light, and smooth the new mild.

Faced with a European Union ban on promoting cigarettes with the words low-tar, mild or light from next week, tobacco firms are rebranding.

The EU directive was designed to stop the tobacco industry from implying some brands were milder than full-strength versions, when research has shown they deliver equal amounts of tar and cancer-causing toxins.

But the companies are planning to beat the ban by using new names, which market research has shown are still associated with healthier and more "pure" products. Marlboro Lights, one of the bestselling of the "low-tar" brands, will become Marlboro Gold. Silk Cut Ultra will be known as Silk Cut Smooth.

Camel Ultra Lights will re-emerge as Camel Smooth, and Embassy Mild becomes Embassy Blue.

The new strategy to circumvent the ban has outraged the British Government and cancer charities.

The Department of Health has funded a £2.5 million ($6.9 million) advertising campaign, drawn up by Cancer Research UK, which tackles the industry head on for the first time.

The TV, radio and press campaign aims to raise people's awareness of the dangers of low-tar products, and how the tobacco industry is misleading smokers.

It is the first time Cancer Research has been involved in an anti-smoking campaign, and marks a departure from the "smoking kills" messages.

The warning "Death Repackaged" drives home the message that low-tar cigarettes are still deadly.

Professor Gerald Hastings, director of the Centre for Tobacco Control Research at the charity, said: "For the first time we have a campaign that focuses on the real villain of the piece - the tobacco industry."

More than a third of smokers now favour the light and low-tar brands.

The tobacco industry has claimed it has never told smokers low-tar brands are safer, but documents issued by Cancer Research showed how they have been marketed in a "health conscious" way.

An advertising brief on low-tar brands for Gallaher, the maker of Silk Cut, reads: "The core low-tar smoker is female, upmarket, aged 25-plus, a smart, health-conscious professional who feels guilty about smoking but either doesn't want to give up or can't. Although racked with guilt, they feel reassured that in smoking low-tar they are making a smart choice and will jump at any chance to make themselves feel better about their habit."

- INDEPENDENT