Marlboro''s marketing in Western Europe: Is it ethical?

There has been considerable publicity in the United States and Australia opposing the cigarette marketing efforts of British and U.S. tobacco companies in Eastern Europe. However, little attention has been paid to the marketing campaigns ofthe same companies in Western Europe, perhaps on the assumption that Western Europeans are too sophisticated to fall for the marketing tricks that have worked elsewhere over the last several decades. However, smoking rates are on the increase in many Western European countries, where tobacco advertising is largely unregulated. This paper analyzes magazine advertising for the Marlboro brand targeted at young adults in The Netherlands and Germany. We find that the same attractive smoking images, and some which may be even more insidious, are being actively promoted to young adults through free on-campus magazines and women's fashion and beauty magazines.