Farewell to charming national figures

Although Parliament passed the new advertising bill last year, certain paragraphs only entered into force this spring, for instance those that regulate tobacco product ads and open-air advertising. Changes in the regulation were necessary in order to implement directives by the European Union. If we examine the period that passed, we can state the crisis slowed down the advertising market and some experts say that advertising budgets will be 18-20 percent smaller after the crisis ended. The important question is: Can excise products be advertised and if yes, where? Tobacco products are practically banned from advertising. (However, the law allows advertising targeted at tobacco product distributors and tobacco ads in tobacco shops.) Only the name, photo and the producer’s name can be placed at the separated sales area. The maximum size of the ad is 594 X 841 mm. Ads can only be composed of the name and price of the product, with the name in A/5 size and the ad itself in A/1. They cannot show people smoking cigarettes, so farewell to charming Frenchmen smoking Gauloises. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed to target children and young people, directly or indirectly, and open-air alcohol ads should be at least 200 m far from schools. According to statistical data, alcohol consumption by young people under the age of 18 did not diminish since the bill was passed; what is more, they start drinking at a younger age. It seems that the law cannot prevent young people from drinking alcohol, probably because it is not ads that make them try it. Should these ads be really banned?