ZEENAT MOORAD: Where there’s smoke
The Canadian units of BAT, Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco ordered to pay damages of about $12.8bn after losing an appeal of class actions filed by Quebec smokers
In a decidedly stealthy move, Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, re-entered motor racing last October through its scientific research subsidiary — branding Ferrari cars with its "Mission Winnow" logo. There are two things to note, the first lesser known than the other: the attraction of advertising from Big Tobacco has increased as F1 (Formula One) teams struggle to meet budget requirements. Second, tobacco advertising and sponsorship by cigarette makers was banned at the end of the 2006 season by the FIA, the world governing body of motor racing. On average, tobacco used to bring in $350m a year for F1. Back to the present-ish time. After its logos featured on Ferrari livery during the Japan Grand Prix in October last year, an investigation by Australia’s communications regulator was launched over whether TV broadcasts of the race breached its ban on tobacco advertising. This week, almost as quietly as it had appeared, Ferrari dropped Philip Morris’s branding from its...
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