Connecticut AG, Seven Other States, Sue Tobacco Maker For Illegal Cartoon Camel Ad In Rolling Stone

December 4, 2007 -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today sued R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) for a nine-page advertising display in Rolling Stone that uses cartoons to jointly promote Camel cigarettes and Indie Rock music - a blatant violation of the tobacco Consent Decree and Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).

Connecticut is one of eight states filing action in court against RJR for its illegal advertising campaign. Additional states filing are California, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.

Blumenthal said the ad package, in the 40th Anniversary issue of Rolling Stone dated Nov. 15, blatantly violates prohibitions against cartoons and brand name merchandise in tobacco promotions.

The ad, as well as marketing material accompanying a music CD, packages the Camel cigarette logo with cartoons and other youth-targeted imagery.

Blumenthal said the Rolling Stone display is only the latest in a repetitive pattern of behavior by RJR to test the legal constraints of the MSA and Consent Degree since it was issued in 1998.

"This RJR centerfold provides a rich panorama of illegal imagery - pandering and promoting tobacco to teens," Blumenthal said. "RJR is blatantly violating its own commitment to stop such slick pitches using cartoon characters and logos - an agreement it reached with states like Connecticut who sued to end such ads.

"This vivid sprawling nine-page poster makes RJR the poster company for lawless cigarette marketing. Instead of cool or hip, this company should be made the industry pariah. Its claim that it bears no responsibility for the centerfold content - only the advertising surrounding it - is like saying it has nothing to do with the tobacco contents of its cigarettes, only the paper around it.

"We seek to hold RJR in contempt of court because of its relentless disregard for court orders, legal standards and American public health. The courts must clearly corral this unconscionable marketing campaign pitching 'The Farm: Free Range Music' as a cover for luring young people into lifetimes of tobacco addiction and disease."

The centerpiece of the RJR marketing campaign featured in Rolling Stone, entitled "The Farm: Free Range Music," is a four-page foldout cartoon poster about the independent musical acts that the Camel campaign promotes.

The cartoon centerfold and surrounding Camel ads are thematically related both in cartoon imagery and content promoting Indie Rock music.

Additionally, at least eight of the names of numerous independent bands and musicians named in the cartoon foldout are featured on a website that is part of RJR's promotional campaign, called the www.thefarmrocks.com.

RJR has also been distributing a CD, The Farm - Free Range Music: Fresh Picked Music, Volume I, in a mailing covered with the Camel Brand Name and logo. This brand marketing is also prohibited.

RJR claims that it was not involved in the development of the cartoon fold out and did not see the piece until after it was printed.

RJR is again attempting to circumvent its obligations under the MSA and Consent Decree, this time by claiming it bears no responsibility for the content of an enormous, multi-page advertisement for its flagship Camel brand, Blumenthal alleges.

Blumenthal, in a legal motion today, is seeking a court order forcing RJR to comply with the MSA and Consent Decree, to pay civil penalties, and to pay for counter-advertising and other anti-smoking efforts to help counteract its illegal actions.

Since the MSA was signed in November 1998, Blumenthal and attorneys general across the nation have pursued RJR for similarly problematic campaigns - successfully stopping many of them. Those campaigns included Camel Flavored Cigarettes, Camel Wide Tattoo packs, Camel No. 9, and KoolMixx cigarettes.

Source: Connecticut Attorney General