According to Radio France on January 22, a 360-square-meter advertisement banner covers the outer wall of the Lorette Notre-Dame church near the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris, France. The ad reads, "A smoke-free France, are you interested? We are too." Below it, there is a small line that says, "Let's discuss alternative solutions." The advertisement is credited to British American Tobacco (BAT).
According to reports, tobacco advertising is illegal in Paris. The anti-smoking organization, Alliance contre le tabac, demanded that the Paris city government remove the advertisement. Ultimately, the advertisement was taken down over the past weekend.
British American Tobacco spent 300,000 euros on the advertisement, which only lasted for two weeks. The key to the advertisement was its sub-heading: "Let's talk about alternative solutions", along with a QR code redirecting to the British American Tobacco website.
In recent years, tobacco sales have sharply declined, leading tobacco companies to instead promote alternative products. For example, in 2024, British American Tobacco sold 125 million nicotine pouches in France. Former Health Minister Geneviève Darrieusecq had planned to ban these products, but due to changes in government officials, such nicotine pouches are still being sold. Legislators will discuss the fate of such products in the Social Security Funding Bill.
The Paris City Council has communicated with Radio France,
The tobacco industry's attempt to mislead consumers by promoting nicotine lozenges under the guise of helping people quit smoking was not immediately recognized. Both the city of Paris and national agencies failed to see through the tobacco industry's lobbying tactics. However, once the Cultural Affairs Directorate (DRAC) approved the removal of the ads, the city government took immediate action. Although the ads were only displayed for two weeks, the city government reserves the right to take action against the advertising agency responsible for this illegal promotion of nicotine.
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