Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Mea Minima Culpa
After 11 years of court battles, denials and evasions, cigarette companies are now being forced to run ads that tell the truth about smoking. They are not putting much effort into it. I saw one of them recently and it referenced the government requiring that the ad be run. It was inartfully large black type run on a plain background. There was no hint of design nor of the marketing prowess used to sell cigarettes in the first place. It is clear that the companies are taking minimal responsibility for their actions. When questioned about it, one company executive said they are working to develop less risky tobacco products, barely an admission that the "coffin nails" they still sell are dangerous. They also wrangled with the regulators to avoid showing photos of the effects of smoking. This after paying billions to victims and states for their bad behavior in the past. They haven't reformed, just changed their tactics.
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