the timboucher experience

Way back in June of this year, I posted some thoughts about how I always suspected that tobacco companies were secretly benefiting from anti-smoking ad campaigns, because the ads are so annoying and cheesy, that it only makes people (especially young people) want to rebel even harder and smoke more.

I also wondered out loud whether or not pharmaceutical companies were also joining in the fun because some of these anti-smoking ad campaigns recommend that you buy pharmaceuticals in order to help your quite smoking. It’d be pretty handy really, if you were a pharmaceutical giant, to cash in on existing cigarette addictions, and help people transfer them to your product - all under the guise of “public service.”

In response to that post though, I got the following email from somebody who claims to work in the “tobacco control” industry:

I cannot attest for ALL anti-smoking campaigns, but I do not know of
any funded through drug companies. Most of the money comes from the Master
Settlement Agreement (1998). Of course, a lot of states are cutting funding to
cover its shortfalls. I have worked in tobacco control for 4 years. I would be
more than happy to answer any questions you have. One final thought….ads will
mention NRTs because people are more likely to listen. People want to use
nicotine replacement therapies…however a good program will explain the pros
and cons of NRTS, as well as the benefits of quitting cold turkey. Thanks and
have a wonderful day.

This letter piques my interest for a variety of reasons. First off, is why and how did they find my post about this? It looks like I’m ranked 4th for the google query, “anti smoking ad campaigns“. If you were a worker in that industry though, why would you be looking up such a general query? Wouldn’t you already know all about these ad campaigns, having worked hand-in-hand with them?

Second, what exactly does the “tobacco control” industry consist of? Is that just a clever PR euphemism for cigarette companies? They are certainly the biggest players in tobacco control, any way you slice it. The more I examine this letter, the more I start to wonder if it really is some kind of PR/damage-control/spin attempt being aimed at little old me as a purveyor of information. It would be a very clever attempt, if it were, and it would only take them maybe 3 minutes to send the whole thing off, and potentially help neutralize my viewpoint as an “opinion maker”.

Looking at the actual wording of certain parts of it make me especially suspicious. Especially where she says “…ads will mention NRTs because people are more likely to listen. People want to use nicotine replacement therapies…” That almost sounds like it could be out of some weird corporate textbook for dealing with inquiries into this subject.

Conspiracies aside though, even if this letter is totally benign, honest and well-intentioned, I still stand by my original thoughts about cigarette companies benefitting from these anti smoking ads, and about pharmaceutical companies swooping in to pick up the pieces.

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