Cigarettes have a very questionable prestige value . Which brand is smoked, which packaging has the noblest design, the most fashionable font and the most elegant color combination?
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- Plain packaging
- Tobacco companies fight back
- Unity look in Germany too?
A lot is being done for the feel: surveys, different packaging materials. The consumer should feel well all around and forget that he inhales several toxins per turn.
Tobacco companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in their product design over the last few decades, continually optimizing their specific look. This advertising strategy should now be stopped. Australia is taking the first step.
There you can buy since the end of 2012 only cigarettes in a unit look. Even the brand name is kept strictly in the standardized font "Lucia Sans", small print, somewhere below, barely noticeable. The remainder of the area consists of imprints that show sick people and large-scale warnings adorn the front, all in a dark shade of green.
Plain packaging
The so-called plain packaging is now also arousing the interest of the European states. England recently announced that it will be voted on before the new elections in May on this uniformity of cigarette packets. France, Norway and Turkey are also demanding plain packaging.
For the tobacco companies an absolute nightmare. For years, the laws to promote their products have been steadily tightening. Packaging design is one of the last territories to make cigarettes tasty for customers, to pull them on their side. Of course, the resistance is all the more violent.
Tobacco companies fight back
The corporations come together and plead for an attack on property rights. Philip Morris threatens the British government with a trial before the International Arbitration Court. Philip Morris manager Marc Firestone also commented on the matter as follows: " We are prepared to protect our rights and to claim adequate compensation for the value of our property."
Further, manufacturers like BAT (British American Tobacco) argue that unitary packages promote price wars, smuggling and piracy, and lead to proof studies from Australia.
By contrast, Australia's smoking figure is lower than ever, largely attributing this to plain packaging. The boxes emit no esprit and symbolize no sign of affiliation, which makes smoking more unattractive, especially for young people, according to Australia's health scientist Chapman.
Only 12.8 percent of over-14s smoke in Australia, twice as many in Germany.
Unity look in Germany too?
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For the time being, the corporations do not have to worry about the unit packages. The Federal Government is currently pursuing no intention of going to plain packaging. However, if our EU neighbors submit as planned, this could change very quickly .
