Philip Morris – comedy of errors

I don’t get to see the dandy Marlboro men, riding a horse anymore – According to a popular survey, Philip Morris, formerly known as Lakson Tobacoo Company, spent an astounding $6.4 million on publicity in 1998, making itself the third largest business advertiser in Pakistan that year. Thanks to the good three minutes cigarette TV advertisements back in the 90s for giving us ‘the taste of adventure’. Come to think of it, I still cannot trace back to the time when my ears last heard a fast forward – shrill voiceover coming straight from an electronic advertisement saying, ‘Smoking is injurious to health – Ministry of Health’. Adding to my miseries, I don’t even get to see the dandy Marlboro men, finely suited; riding horses, driving jeeps, climbing mountain peaks and attractively sliding cigarettes from a cigarette pack. To top it off, my dilemma worsens when I can’t figure out a better ringtone that can replace the spell-binding background music of the famous cigarette advertisements of our times.
In the case of cigarette advertisements, the ban in Pakistan was imposed from approximately, the year 2002; since then the government of Pakistan outlawed open advertisement of cigarettes through both print and electronic media.
Even when cigarette advertisements were not banned in Pakistan, public service messages against smoking were regularly telecasted on electronic media. One very famous commercial, of 2 minutes, 17 seconds, pretty long to bear at this point in time, we all remember; ‘Wasim bhai, ap thaktay nahi hain? Jee nahi,mein cigarette nahi peeta.’ (Even though, I can bet, that out of all the good things that he does, he definitely is a good smoker.) Today, the same celebrity can be juxtaposed, with a voiceover warning about the dangers of smoking. Hail the excessive media exposure and advancement in time that have changed our perception towards things.
Just recently, as I was going through a print magazine, my eyes caught the full page view of my long lost ‘handsome hunk’, surfing through the sea on a graceful horse. Yes, it was none other than ‘The Marlboro Man’. I instantly wanted to thank the company for bringing back my childhood memories, but the Tobacco Control Cell of Pakistan apparently, did not like the dude’s presence on mass media. The cell lifted a ban on cigarette advertisements under the Prohibition of Smoking in Enclosed Places and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance, 2002, but Philip Morris did not even seem to research well before making such a major blunder. Good lord, Pakistan Tobacco Company – the major competitor of Philip Morris, did not follow their stars.
The Prohibition of Smoking in Enclosed Places and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance, 2002, governs multiple areas of tobacco control, including restrictions on public smoking, sales to minors, and tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. According to the Presidential Ordinance, “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, no person/company shall advertise tobacco and tobacco products in any media, in any place and any public service vehicle.” This makes the recent promotional advertisement campaign by Philip Morris, a clear violation of these rules and regulation.
In another recent incident, the company evaded millions of rupees worth of taxes by short payment of federal excise duty and sales tax in their imported brand, Marlboro. For which Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued show-cause notice to Phillip Morris, asking them to pay evaded tax amounting, Rs300 million.
Despite the aforesaid cases, the giant cigarette company keeps on beating out products across the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) spectrum. The tobacco company is also involved in Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). CSR promotes the view that “firms should strive to make a profit, obey the law, be ethical, and be a good corporate citizen.” Ironic, how a cigarette manufacturing company rates environment, health and safety management as their top priorities. Whereas, tobacco is the only consumer product that kills one half of its users when used as directed. Let’s not get into the debate, the idea that tobacco companies can be ethical while promoting a disease-producing product is fundamentally contradictory.

The writer is Sub-Editor, Profit. She can be reached at [email protected]