I write this post, as I smoke my pipe and drink coffee and sip a small gin – you may think it’s a bit early but then I’ve just watched This World; Bannatyne Takes On Tobacco which documents Duncan Bannatyne’s hard look at British American Tobacco practice in Africa.
I watched it with notepad to hand and took some notes and quite frankly whilst you can argue stats and such there is in the end no point – Duncan’s point is irrefutable, British American Tobacco has been targeting the young and it doesn’t matter how young it would seem (smoking starts at the rather premature age of eight years old)…
There are three points I’d like to make at this point – I have emailed Duncan Bannatyne to ask whether or not he’d have another look if ‘BAT’ genuinely changes its practices [as the marketing policies are fine, in print, the question is how they have been trampled over and when I say the 'marketing policies are fine' I believe that when you are old enough to fight, kill and die for your country I think you are old enough to decide 'hmm, to smoke or not to smoke...']
I have also emailed BAT and this is a copy of the text -
After watching the terrible marketing practices of British American Tobacco in Africa in ‘This World’ by Duncan Bannatyne I feel compelled to boycott your products until I can be firmly reassured that your marketing policies and practices no longer target children.
I look forward to hearing from you as I sometimes post on the ‘right to smoke’ here in the UK on my blog The Third Province at stumblingtoheaven.wordpress.com and would be more comfortable doing so in the future if you could facilitate this matter.
So we’ll just have to see if they reply to a small chap like me…
Lastly I want to say that although I find the targeting of children abhorrent I find even worse Nestle’s practice which is to target the mother of a newborn with their powdered milk produce which in the end is far more dangerous for their babes than if they begin to smoke – as they could quit whilst once a mother has stopped producing breast milk there is no return… Have a look here…
I hope you can join me in my personal boycott of both Nestle and now (if you smoke) British American Tobacco. It is through choices like this that we define our relationship with the marketplace.
PS I have since received a reply from British American Tobacco and here, in full, it is -
02/07/2008 18:37:04
___________________________________________________________
Thank you for your email. The programme has generated a lot of comments and
it's impossible for us to respond individually to each one. However, to
read our response to the points that it raised, please see our website at
www.bat.com.
Yours sincerely,
Webmaster
___________________________________________________________
British American Tobacco p.l.c.
A company registered in England and Wales
Registered office: Globe House, 4 Temple Place, London WC2R 2PG
Registered number: 3407696
This message is subject to and does not create or affect any terms and
conditions between yourself and British American Tobacco, its subsidiaries
or affiliates ("British American Tobacco") . Communications on the
internet are not secure. Accordingly British American Tobacco cannot and
does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message. Any
view or opinions expressed are those of the author. This communication is
intended only for the addressee. Its contents and any attached files are
strictly confidential. If you have received it in error, please telephone
the number detailed above.
Kind of makes you all warm inside, doesn’t it? It’s nice to know they’ve had to notice the programme – which is what Bannatyne intended I’m sure – referring to their policies that Duncan showed were meaningless doesn’t make much more than chaff…
If they had something more meaningful to say I may well have treated the ‘information’ or the ‘communication’ with sensitivity. On the other hand you can visit the website and see for yourselves, just as they wish… there is a section on youth prevention which is definitely there…
Now all I need is a note from Duncan… before I move on to the really evil empire of Nestle…
