R.J. Reynolds to Stop Consumer Print Ads
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The second largest cigarette maker in the U.S., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (RJRT), will not advertise its brands in newspapers or consumer magazines next year, The Associated Press reported.
While the company has been under pressure from anti-smoking groups and members of Congress over print ads for its cigarettes, including those for Camel No. 9, company spokeswoman Jan Smith told the AP the decision had been made sometime before October, and was unrelated to recent criticism related to an ad in Rolling Stone, the report stated.
That ad was made up of four pages of Camel cigarette ads, which appeared on both sides of editorial content on independent rock music, the AP reported. The presentation angered anti-smoking advocates, who claimed the section appeared as a Camel ad, the report stated.
Smith told the AP the move is "an effort by the company to enhance and sharpen the effectiveness and efficiency of its marketing programs." She added that the company did take into account, at least in part, protests over the Camel No. 9 ads.
The Camel No. 9 ads generated criticism from a group of Congress members, led by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), who urged women's magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Glamour to stop accepting the ads, claiming they threaten the health of the women who form a large part of the publications' readership.
"Obviously tobacco industry issues are in mind with every decision we make," Smith told the AP. "A result of this is there should be less controversy over cigarette advertising in magazines and newspapers, because we won't be doing it."
While the company has been under pressure from anti-smoking groups and members of Congress over print ads for its cigarettes, including those for Camel No. 9, company spokeswoman Jan Smith told the AP the decision had been made sometime before October, and was unrelated to recent criticism related to an ad in Rolling Stone, the report stated.
That ad was made up of four pages of Camel cigarette ads, which appeared on both sides of editorial content on independent rock music, the AP reported. The presentation angered anti-smoking advocates, who claimed the section appeared as a Camel ad, the report stated.
Smith told the AP the move is "an effort by the company to enhance and sharpen the effectiveness and efficiency of its marketing programs." She added that the company did take into account, at least in part, protests over the Camel No. 9 ads.
The Camel No. 9 ads generated criticism from a group of Congress members, led by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), who urged women's magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Glamour to stop accepting the ads, claiming they threaten the health of the women who form a large part of the publications' readership.
"Obviously tobacco industry issues are in mind with every decision we make," Smith told the AP. "A result of this is there should be less controversy over cigarette advertising in magazines and newspapers, because we won't be doing it."