Interesting development in marketing?

[cyborg_jim]

I saw a rather interesting thing today.

I was in the local newsagent getting my equipment for fulfilling my dirty smoking habit (yes, I know) where I noticed a rather curious thing.

There was a pretty looking young girl holding what looked like a presentation style case containing two packets of some sort of gold Camel branded cigarette packets and a lighter in the middle. Now what piqued my ears was that another lady asked if she was in the queue and she said, quite matter-of-factly, "no, I'm just standing here."

I can only come to the conclusion that this is some sort of marketing subterfuge.

Now at the risk of invoking a mighty discussion on the rights and wrongs of smoking my question is simple: has anyone ever seen anything like this before? Does anyone have any hard facts on this sort of thing?

It is interesting to me in particular because in the UK cigarette advertising is banned...

[duhneece]

1. What are the laws against advertising to the young?

And could she have been breaking the laws that exist? I've never seen anything like that, but our Boys & Girls Club took on a project where they went to local stores to see if they were illegally advertising to the young (ads at eye-level of the little ones, etc.)

[cyborg_jim]

3. Well since the laws advertising to the old say: "NO"

I'm guessing the potential "think-of-the-children" situation might compound the issue if this were a de facto advertising stunt by a well-known American tobacco brand.

Although not many kids in that newsagent - it's one at Canary Wharf you see: lots of suit type people and not much in the way of family type people during the week.

[glowing]

2. In college.. they sent young persons out to the bars and campuses

and gave out free cigs... If you smoked, it was great.. if you didn't, they didn't matter.

[cyborg_jim]

4. I know that sort of thing happens in tobacco's emerging markets

But in the UK? At this time?

It's all too damn fishy for my tastes.

[glowing]

7. Oh, I'm in the USA and as far as any brits I've met over hear... they

smoke like crazy, and then go play soccer...

I don't think we cared much about cigs being peddled to us, we were in college we knew the effects, might as well just save ourselves money while killing ourselves.

[TomInTib]

5. I would have hung around a while.

Kept an eye on the situation.

And the young lady. Maybe she might've been up for skipping down the road for a pint or two.

But it does sound like an in-store marketing subterfuge.

[cyborg_jim]

9. Alas I was working - and attached. ;)

[lectrobyte]

6. it's called "guerrilla marketing" -- not seen it first hand but read about it on the web.

[blondeatlast]

8. Right you are and it's quite common in nightclubs.

Nowadays, even good looking men are used to lure the ladies; a relatively new phenomenon.