You will probably have noticed that there has been a major clamp down on tobacco advertising in recent years, the combination of this and the country-wide ban on lighting up in pubs and clubs in the UK which has been in effect now for almost three years is really harming the industry. For some this is a real good news story, less people smoking means falling of various types of cancer, but the industry is left in free fall and fearing further cuts.
How then can cigarette frims get themselves heard when there is a blanket ban on broadcast and print advertising as well as stomach-turning health warnings and grotesque pictures Company Logos on cigarette packets? Some brands are finding clever ways around the problem. For a long while, Formula One was a moving advertisment for companies such as Marlbro, JPS, Camel, Gauloises and West, albeit one which was travelling very rapidly!
Almost every team was sponsored by a major cigarette brand, with the cars colour scheme and livery being determined by the sponsors Logo Designs. In 2006 regulation was introduced to ban such marketing from the sport, it was initially resisted by F1 owner Bernie Ecclestone as he branched out into Asian and Middle-Eastern countries such as Bahrain and Malaysia which allowed the promotion, but eventually succumbed to a blanket ban in 2009.
Some brands have found smart methods to dodge ban and are still using them to this day. Phillip Morris, maker of Malbro tobacco and long term affiliate of the Ferrari F1 squad run an alternative sponsorship plan, electing to plaster a white barcode design on the car, which from a distance and combined with the crimson red of the Ferrari, very much resembles the original Marlbro logo.
This custom logo design circumnavigates the regulations and allows a form of brand marketing which is both covert and subtle, yet at the same time stands out as instantly recognizable to those exposed to the Malbro brand for years. An eye catching logo is important but this case study demonstrates the importance of brand recognition which can be achceived simply by exposing a large audience to your brand over long periods of time.