The Danger of Cigarette 'Special Placements' in Film and Television

The popular press has alleged that tobacco companies are placing de-facto cigarette advertising in feature films. An investigation of Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company documents finds evidence that these special placements are indeed used as cigarette ads to circumvent federal regulations and sidestep voluntary advertising agreements made by the company. Special placements allow tobacco companies to show celebrities using their product, to get these ads shown on television, and to avoid the mandated warnings on advertising. Evidence shows that these placements can be seen in films and on television in ways that can clearly be viewed as advertising. Research into identification suggests that we should be very concerned about the use of special placements, especially when the product use is by a celebrity. Finally, public policy options are discussed.