The ruling, passed in 2003, aims to phase out all cinema and outdoor advertising for tobacco products.
The ban on radio and television tobacco advertising began last January, while a ban on print media will come into effect next July. From then, only point-of-sale advertisements placed inside stores will be allowed.
Randy Aquino, president of the Association of the Accredited Advertising Agencies (4As) in the Philippines, believes that the ban will only encourage advertisers and their agencies to be more creative in reaching out to their target audience.
“Regulated advertising is a fact that we need to face. But tobacco companies can always pursue other forms of advertising,” said Aquino.
When asked if the advertising industry is being made the whipping boy for social issues like smoking, Aquino noted that the industry understands that the ban is for the “protection of the people”.
“We can’t avoid regulations, but what we can do is play by the rules and turn to new media such as SMS to talk to consumers,” he explained.
As the act has been phased in gradually, observers say that the impact on the industry will not be dramatic.
Miguel Ramos, managing director of Aspac Law, said: “The tobacco industry is one of the biggest outdoor advertisers. But companies have been trimming their budgets and the effect has been spread over the past two years.”
Ramos estimates that tobacco companies spend almost US$3 million, or 10 per cent of the total, on outdoor advertising in the country.
The move by the Philippine Government comes hot on the heels of similar bans by other Asian governments.
The Indonesian authorities are considering tightening current restrictions on tobacco advertising, while the Malaysian Government is contemplating a ban on fast food ads targeted at children (Media, 3 May).
Meanwhile, in Thailand, the national Government is report-edly planning a complete ban on alcohol advertising from any public location (Media, 2 May).
