A number of leading doctors have accused the Ferrari Formula One team of "subliminal advertising" of cigarettes through their noticeable 'bar code' sponsorship from the makers of Marlboro cigarettes, according to a report in the Times newspaper.
The Ferrari team have been sponsored by the Marlboro brand, owned by the Phillip Morris company, since 1984, with Marlboro becoming the Italian team's title sponsor in 1997.
Despite a recent blanket ban on tobacco sponsorship across Europe, and the subsequent departure of most tobacco brands from the F1 grid, Phillip Morris increased their deal with Ferrari in 2005 to run until the end of 2011, using their 'barcode' in place of the name of the brand, in a deal said to be worth $1 billion.
But, in a slightly left-field move, a group of doctors have challenged the "subliminal" nature of the tobacco sponsorship present on the scarlet cars, saying that the barcode design could breach European Law.
According to a report in The Times newspaper, a spokesman for the European Public Health Commissioner has said that the unique method of Marlboro's sponsorship 'constituted potential subliminal marketing', and has asked Spanish and British governments for clarification on the situation.
John Britton, a doctor and director of the tobacco advisory group at the Royal College of Physicians, was quoted as saying that: "The bar code looks like the bottom half of a packet of Marlboro cigarettes. I was stunned when I saw it. This is pushing at the limits. If you look at how the bar code has evolved over the last four years, it looks like creeping branding."
Former UK Health Secretary Frank Dobson has also pushed for an inquiry into the situation, saying that: "The tobacco firms were working out years ago how they could advertise if there was a ban on tobacco advertising."
His views were backed by the director of the 'Centre for Tobacco Control Research' Gerard Hastings, who said that: "I think this is advertising. Why a bar code? What is their explanation?"
Why this has suddenly become an issue now is unclear, given that the 'barcode' branding has been in place on Ferrari's cars for a number of years, and the team themselves denied the claim in a bemused-sounding statement, adding that the quoted value of the sponsor deal was "not a correct figure".
"The bar code is part of the livery of the car, it is not part of a subliminal advertising campaign," a Ferrari spokesman said on Wednesday.
"$100 million [a year, for the Marlboro contract] is not a correct figure. We do not disclose the figure — the figure you mention, it is lower."
Meanwhile, a statement from Phillip Morris read: "We are confident that our relationship with Ferrari does not violate the UK 2002 Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act. The Formula One Grand Prix in the UK does not involve any race cars, team apparel, equipment or track signage carrying tobacco product branding. The same is true for all other Formula One races across the world."
Although the team carries no Marlboro name on the cars, the team is officially entered in the world championship under the name 'Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro'.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
