Imperial Tobacco CEO Gareth Davis says he does not believe graphic warnings would change the behavior of smokers and he has seen no evidence that they have an impact. That's a denial of the existing scientific studies and the line given by the civil servants who also oppose graphic warnings (like in France).
Corpses 'won't stop smokers' - The Sun
October 31, 2007
[Photo cutline] Warning ... dead man in mortuary
IMPERIAL TOBACCO, Britain’s biggest cigarette manufacturer, has warned that putting photos of cancer victims on packets will not deter smokers.
The graphic warnings, including a photo of a dead man on a mortuary table, will appear on UK cigarette packets from next September.
But Imps chief executive Gareth Davis said yesterday they would not change the behaviour of smokers.
[Photo cutline] Sceptical ... Davis
He said: “We’ve seen many other jurisdictions, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Singapore and Belgium, do this and basically there is no evidence to suggest that picture warnings have led to a reduction in consumption.
“We don’t see them having much effect — they seem to have more effect on non-smokers than smokers.
“All they do is vilify and stigmatise smokers. They are almost designed to be as horrible and ugly-looking as they can be. In Belgium, where they have just done it, it has had no impact.
“At the end of the day, smokers are well aware of the risks and it doesn’t add to their body of knowledge. I think it’s patronising, honestly.”
He was speaking as Imps — which makes Britain’s two best-selling cigarette brands, Lambert & Butler and Richmond — reported a six per cent rise in full year pre-tax profits to £1.237billion.
Mr Davis said the UK tobacco market dipped by four per cent between July — when the ban on smoking in public places was introduced in England — and the end of September.
But he insisted this was as much to do with poor summer weather which stopped smokers going outside.
He told Sun City: “The impact of the bans have been much as we anticipated, although slightly greater in England.
“We expect this to diminish over time. We took a two per cent hit in Scotland, Ireland, Italy and other countries which have introduced such bans.
“I think it’s fair to say our brands are extremely resilient — they are not nightlife or pub-dependent and are smoked everywhere. Some other brands, which are more nightlife-dependent, might suffer more.”
Shares of Bristol-based Imps rose 4p to 2447 despite news of delays to the firm’s blockbuster £8.2billion takeover of ALTADIS, the maker of Gitanes, due to a change in Spanish takeover rules.
Source: The Sun
October 31, 2007
[Photo cutline] Warning ... dead man in mortuary
IMPERIAL TOBACCO, Britain’s biggest cigarette manufacturer, has warned that putting photos of cancer victims on packets will not deter smokers.
The graphic warnings, including a photo of a dead man on a mortuary table, will appear on UK cigarette packets from next September.
But Imps chief executive Gareth Davis said yesterday they would not change the behaviour of smokers.
[Photo cutline] Sceptical ... Davis
He said: “We’ve seen many other jurisdictions, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Singapore and Belgium, do this and basically there is no evidence to suggest that picture warnings have led to a reduction in consumption.
“We don’t see them having much effect — they seem to have more effect on non-smokers than smokers.
“All they do is vilify and stigmatise smokers. They are almost designed to be as horrible and ugly-looking as they can be. In Belgium, where they have just done it, it has had no impact.
“At the end of the day, smokers are well aware of the risks and it doesn’t add to their body of knowledge. I think it’s patronising, honestly.”
He was speaking as Imps — which makes Britain’s two best-selling cigarette brands, Lambert & Butler and Richmond — reported a six per cent rise in full year pre-tax profits to £1.237billion.
Mr Davis said the UK tobacco market dipped by four per cent between July — when the ban on smoking in public places was introduced in England — and the end of September.
But he insisted this was as much to do with poor summer weather which stopped smokers going outside.
He told Sun City: “The impact of the bans have been much as we anticipated, although slightly greater in England.
“We expect this to diminish over time. We took a two per cent hit in Scotland, Ireland, Italy and other countries which have introduced such bans.
“I think it’s fair to say our brands are extremely resilient — they are not nightlife or pub-dependent and are smoked everywhere. Some other brands, which are more nightlife-dependent, might suffer more.”
Shares of Bristol-based Imps rose 4p to 2447 despite news of delays to the firm’s blockbuster £8.2billion takeover of ALTADIS, the maker of Gitanes, due to a change in Spanish takeover rules.
Source: The Sun
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-Briana
Posted by: SEO Philippines | December 12, 2008 at 08:00 PM
That's great! I wonder if I can apply this as well?
-Briana
Posted by: SEO Philippines | December 12, 2008 at 08:02 PM