Tobacco company considered funding a film to promote smoking in eastern Europe

[Lunar Loops]

The follwing is an abstract of an article from British Medical Journal (unfortunately I do not have subscription access to full article):

Tobacco company considered funding a film to promote smoking in eastern Europe


Abergavenny Roger Dobson


Previously secret documents show that British American Tobacco (BAT) considered investing in a £2.25m (€3.3m; $4.2m) action film, with a heroine who smoked, for distribution in eastern Europe, according to a new report (European Journal of Public Health 2006 Apr 5, doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckl041).
In return for providing money to make the film, the company would have cigarette marketing opportunities in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, says a letter from the film’s producer cited in the report. British American Tobacco would have had the right to position its chosen brand in the film. The report cites examples of other interest in using films to promote tobacco smoking in several eastern European countries, after the political collapse of the Eastern bloc, including an executive who suggested that films in Hungary could reach a young urban market.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good article