“The world’s most hostile environment”: how the tobacco industry circumvented Singapore’s advertising ban: Table 1

Abstract

Objective: To review how tobacco transnational companies conducted their business in the hostile environment of Singapore, attempting to counter some of the government's tobacco control measures; to compare the Malaysian and the Singaporean governments' stance on tobacco control and the direct bearing of this on the way the tobacco companies conduct their business. Methods: Systematic keyword and opportunistic website searches of formerly private internal industry documents. Results: The comprehensive prohibition on advertising did not prevent the companies from advertising cigarettes to Singaporeans. Both British American Tobacco and Philip Morris used Malaysian television to advertise into Singapore. To launch a new brand of cigarettes, Alpine, Philip Morris used a non-tobacco product, the Alpine wine cooler. Other creative strategies such as innovative packaging and display units at retailers were explored to overcome the restrictions. Philip Morris experimented with developing a prototype cigarette using aroma and sweetened tipping paper to target the young and health conscious. The industry sought to weaken the strong pack warnings. The industry distributed anti-smoking posters for youth to retailers but privately salivated over their market potential.

Progress in Tobacco Control in Singapore: Lessons and Challenges in the Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

“…Singapore's tobacco taxation system is lauded as a best practice in tobacco control by Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states. Singapore was considered to be the 'most hostile environment' in the world for its ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship by the tobacco industry (Assunta & Chapman 2004), and given the developments in the past decade, rightly so with its increasingly stringent tax on tobacco products and prohibition of emerging tobacco products.…”

“…Along with Cambodia and Thailand, Singapore also bans publicity of corporate social responsibility activities by tobacco companies (Assunta & Dorotheo 2016). During the early years of implementation, however, tobacco companies were able to circumvent Singapore's advertising ban by brand stretching and investing on television advertisements (viewable in Singapore) through channels being aired from neighbouring Malaysia (Assunta & Chapman 2004).…”

Impact of Parental Tobacco Use on Child Malnutrition and Survival

“…Internal documents described how British American Tobacco adopted an "offshore strategy" to market tobacco to Singaporeans by advertising heavily on Malaysian television channels and sponsoring sporting events in Indonesia [60]. The desired effect was to reach consumers in Singapore via these popular mediums and thus circumvent the advertising ban.…”

Tobacco Industry Documents from Outside Sources: New Perspectives on Industry Strategies on Local Levels

“…The document have also been used to study tobacco industry operations outside the United States (US), even in small countries such as Singapore (2), Uzbekistan (3), Hungary (4)(5)(6) and Finland (7)(8). The reports raise questions concerning the limitations of the document source.…”