Selling Death and Circumventing the Law - The Indian Scenario
This article by Hemant Goswami was published in the magazine "Health for Millions," November 2009 Issue.
TOBACCO INDUSTRY – THE CORPORATE PLOY
“Marketing”- that is the buzzword for every business in today’s consumer-driven market ridden with cut-throat competition. But unlike other businesses, the tobacco industry faces little dilemma about retaining the existing customers during their lifetime. The addictive nature of tobacco does the job for them. The greater challenge for the tobacco industry is timely replacement of their customers who would die prematurely from the use of their products!
Owing to largely unregulated marketing, replacement of dead customers was not a major challenge to the tobacco industry until the1980’s. Doctors, film stars, politicians and sports heroes regularly appeared in promotional campaigns and advertisements of tobacco products. This placed tobacco in the category of one of the most desirable and glamorous products.THE CHANGING WORLD
Though the US Surgeon General’s warning about the harm from tobacco use came in the 1960’s, it was only in the 1980’s that countries began to consider restrictions and legislations on tobacco promotion as a means to reduce its use.
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