Industry Marketing Ethics
What ethics? Why that of the tobacco industry, of course. It has long been proven in litigious court action and testimony and evidence given therein that the tobacco industry is fully aware of the nastily deleterious effect that nicotine has on peoples' longevity. The pernicious effects of long-term smoking been known for at least a half-century to wreak dread havoc on smokers' vital organs and tissues.
In North America and in Europe a more educated public has been made abundantly aware through determined anti-smoking campaigns, of the high health risks associated with the use of tobacco products. By law now, cigarette manufacturers are required to alert their customers to the fact that using their products will most surely be injurious to the smokers' health. Moreover, that smoking creates second-hand dangers to those around the smoker.
Most responsible governments, in recognition of the high death toll resulting from tobacco product use have enacted laws forbidding the use of those products in both public and many private spaces. It's hard to believe that in living memory smoking was once permitted in hospital wards. In the Province of Ontario it has now become unlawful for anyone to light up in a car carrying children who will be exposed to second-hand smoke.
Impressionable young people who, as young people have always done, consider themselves invulnerable to harm, prefer to shrug off these warnings. Smoking, still considered 'cool', and sophisticated, proves over time an unhealthy addiction that people are later unable to disconnect from. Special government-sponsored warnings through grim advertising is targeted at the young. Yet films still feature societal smoking.
Tobacco has turned elsewhere for its product-use to prosper. In Third-World countries where, although poverty is rampant, people can still be persuaded to purchase in smaller numbers. China, which once imported cigarettes, now is the largest producer of cigarettes in the world; tax revenues are enormous. Roughly 60% of Chinese men smoke, but a mere 5% of Chinese women. Causing the industry to turn its advertising toward women.
While currently a million Chinese die each year from smoking-related disease, that number is due to increase. At one time Russian officials faced the prospect of riots when the population was unable to obtain sufficient imported cigarettes to meet their nicotine addiction needs. That was a lesson that Russia has never quite forgotten, one that will not be repeated, and a home-grown industry now provides for those needs.
It's difficult for a caring, knowledgeable and responsible government to take the initiative to steer their populations away from self-injurious addictions. Russia has the double spectre of alcohol addiction, giving the country's population the distinction of presenting overwhelmingly with a low life-expectancy thanks to those two grim health-and-life-sapping addictions.
In the Philippines and in Africa street vendors hawk individual cigarettes because poor people cannot afford to purchase in greater numbers than singly. Cigarette manufacturers take care to infuse these single cigarettes with a higher quotient of nicotine, to ensure addiction. Governments are complicit, encouraged by the increase of revenues thanks to taxes imposed on tobacco products.
Perhaps it's only in countries where medical and hospital treatment is offered to the entire population that governments can recognize the uneven trade-off; tax revenues against medical treatment costs. The tobacco industry is corrupt and clever; packaging by Philip Morris during Breast Cancer Month, elegant 'purse-pack' packets in the reassuring soft pink colour used by the cancer campaign.
Medical research has proven that babies born of smoking mothers are more prone to smoking and addiction because their metabolism has been affected in the womb. Babies born to smoking mothers have a much higher incidence of asthma. Yet, when people can be convinced that smoking cessation can guarantee them a healthier, longer life, if they do manage to drop the habit despite long-term use, their mortality rate will be reduced by 36%.
As for the industry, their boardroom elites will continue to employ marketing geniuses to keep persuading people how much their lives will be improved and glamourized by responding to the needs of their craving for nicotine.
In North America and in Europe a more educated public has been made abundantly aware through determined anti-smoking campaigns, of the high health risks associated with the use of tobacco products. By law now, cigarette manufacturers are required to alert their customers to the fact that using their products will most surely be injurious to the smokers' health. Moreover, that smoking creates second-hand dangers to those around the smoker.
Most responsible governments, in recognition of the high death toll resulting from tobacco product use have enacted laws forbidding the use of those products in both public and many private spaces. It's hard to believe that in living memory smoking was once permitted in hospital wards. In the Province of Ontario it has now become unlawful for anyone to light up in a car carrying children who will be exposed to second-hand smoke.
Impressionable young people who, as young people have always done, consider themselves invulnerable to harm, prefer to shrug off these warnings. Smoking, still considered 'cool', and sophisticated, proves over time an unhealthy addiction that people are later unable to disconnect from. Special government-sponsored warnings through grim advertising is targeted at the young. Yet films still feature societal smoking.
Tobacco has turned elsewhere for its product-use to prosper. In Third-World countries where, although poverty is rampant, people can still be persuaded to purchase in smaller numbers. China, which once imported cigarettes, now is the largest producer of cigarettes in the world; tax revenues are enormous. Roughly 60% of Chinese men smoke, but a mere 5% of Chinese women. Causing the industry to turn its advertising toward women.
While currently a million Chinese die each year from smoking-related disease, that number is due to increase. At one time Russian officials faced the prospect of riots when the population was unable to obtain sufficient imported cigarettes to meet their nicotine addiction needs. That was a lesson that Russia has never quite forgotten, one that will not be repeated, and a home-grown industry now provides for those needs.
It's difficult for a caring, knowledgeable and responsible government to take the initiative to steer their populations away from self-injurious addictions. Russia has the double spectre of alcohol addiction, giving the country's population the distinction of presenting overwhelmingly with a low life-expectancy thanks to those two grim health-and-life-sapping addictions.
In the Philippines and in Africa street vendors hawk individual cigarettes because poor people cannot afford to purchase in greater numbers than singly. Cigarette manufacturers take care to infuse these single cigarettes with a higher quotient of nicotine, to ensure addiction. Governments are complicit, encouraged by the increase of revenues thanks to taxes imposed on tobacco products.
Perhaps it's only in countries where medical and hospital treatment is offered to the entire population that governments can recognize the uneven trade-off; tax revenues against medical treatment costs. The tobacco industry is corrupt and clever; packaging by Philip Morris during Breast Cancer Month, elegant 'purse-pack' packets in the reassuring soft pink colour used by the cancer campaign.
Medical research has proven that babies born of smoking mothers are more prone to smoking and addiction because their metabolism has been affected in the womb. Babies born to smoking mothers have a much higher incidence of asthma. Yet, when people can be convinced that smoking cessation can guarantee them a healthier, longer life, if they do manage to drop the habit despite long-term use, their mortality rate will be reduced by 36%.
As for the industry, their boardroom elites will continue to employ marketing geniuses to keep persuading people how much their lives will be improved and glamourized by responding to the needs of their craving for nicotine.
Labels: Health, Human Relations, Social-Cultural Deviations
posted by Pieface @ 5:33 PM
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