27-02-2018, 07:47 PM
PB wrote in other thread:
I think it's crazy that we can have alcohol. . . everywhere - yet tobacco sponsorship is banned.
If people are so weak-willed as to take up smoking just because they saw a logo on Lewis' car. . . . . . ."
I thought this was worth a proper discussion, but didn't want to do it there.
The Alcohol comparison is unfair, not everyone who decides to drink will become an alcoholic, but every single person who starts smoking will become addicted, with very few exceptions
1) As an ex smoker, I certainly didn't start because of advertising, but that's another story. However Tobacco companies are and have been some of the most insidious companies ever to exist. They didn't give out free cigarettes, during the war out of patriotism, they saw a captive market and once soldiers returned, customers for life. Now it's becoming more socially unacceptable in developed countries, they have for many years now been flooding under developed countries with cheap and indeed free cigarettes once again. Personally I would ban the manufacture of them. Not in it's entirety as there are cultural reasons to smoke, but those aren't rolled up little white sticks with god knows how many chemicals added. Also with vaping there is a relatively less harmful substitute. And just to add, I'm no advocate for the nanny state as they say, at all, even though it may seem that way. They should legalise weed and tax it, oddly enough the states are actually leading the way on this, perhaps we could get the Rizzla sponsorship back then
2) "Just because they saw a logo on Lewis' car . . . ."
Advertising is an incredibly powerful tool, hence why the spend millions on it, if they weren't getting a return, they wouldn't do it. I think someone said that Marlborough are secretly still paying SF, hence the bar code on the car, if this is true, I think that should tell you all you need to know about how important this is to them.
3) I think PB's real issue, is actually because of the loss of ad revenue for teams, so what's the solution? Yes we need more free to air broadcasting to attract more sponsors to the sport, and we now have some very smart cookies working on this, Zak Brown at McL, and Liberty themselves. Again they have inherited the current mess, and I think they are the right people to fix it in this regard
The danger lies in going too far & down a fully Americanised model, I have heard that F1 in the states is virtually unwatchable due to the frequency of ads during races
4) And finally as I know this was sparked by Martini's withdrawal from the sport, yes we'll miss the livery, but as PB said himself about the Halo, it's not a beauty contest. Bacardi's board took the decision as it is no longer in keeping with their overall strategy, I wonder if this could herald other drinks companies withdrawing as well over time, as it has always been a bit paradoxical, for alcohol companies to sponsor motorsport, hence the FIA anti drink drive campaign. And if this does happen who could take their place?
I think it's crazy that we can have alcohol. . . everywhere - yet tobacco sponsorship is banned.
If people are so weak-willed as to take up smoking just because they saw a logo on Lewis' car. . . . . . ."
I thought this was worth a proper discussion, but didn't want to do it there.
The Alcohol comparison is unfair, not everyone who decides to drink will become an alcoholic, but every single person who starts smoking will become addicted, with very few exceptions
1) As an ex smoker, I certainly didn't start because of advertising, but that's another story. However Tobacco companies are and have been some of the most insidious companies ever to exist. They didn't give out free cigarettes, during the war out of patriotism, they saw a captive market and once soldiers returned, customers for life. Now it's becoming more socially unacceptable in developed countries, they have for many years now been flooding under developed countries with cheap and indeed free cigarettes once again. Personally I would ban the manufacture of them. Not in it's entirety as there are cultural reasons to smoke, but those aren't rolled up little white sticks with god knows how many chemicals added. Also with vaping there is a relatively less harmful substitute. And just to add, I'm no advocate for the nanny state as they say, at all, even though it may seem that way. They should legalise weed and tax it, oddly enough the states are actually leading the way on this, perhaps we could get the Rizzla sponsorship back then
2) "Just because they saw a logo on Lewis' car . . . ."
Advertising is an incredibly powerful tool, hence why the spend millions on it, if they weren't getting a return, they wouldn't do it. I think someone said that Marlborough are secretly still paying SF, hence the bar code on the car, if this is true, I think that should tell you all you need to know about how important this is to them.
3) I think PB's real issue, is actually because of the loss of ad revenue for teams, so what's the solution? Yes we need more free to air broadcasting to attract more sponsors to the sport, and we now have some very smart cookies working on this, Zak Brown at McL, and Liberty themselves. Again they have inherited the current mess, and I think they are the right people to fix it in this regard
The danger lies in going too far & down a fully Americanised model, I have heard that F1 in the states is virtually unwatchable due to the frequency of ads during races
4) And finally as I know this was sparked by Martini's withdrawal from the sport, yes we'll miss the livery, but as PB said himself about the Halo, it's not a beauty contest. Bacardi's board took the decision as it is no longer in keeping with their overall strategy, I wonder if this could herald other drinks companies withdrawing as well over time, as it has always been a bit paradoxical, for alcohol companies to sponsor motorsport, hence the FIA anti drink drive campaign. And if this does happen who could take their place?
"I Say, I say . . . . The satisfaction you have in a few minutes when you become champion. It's enough to live forever