The Ethics of Global Tobacco Marketing

Cigarette smoking was and still is a favorite pastime of Americans during certain eras. Particularly in the 1950's and 1960's, cigarette smoking was portrayed as being cool. Hollywood used this image as if smoking cannot harm a person's health because since movies are not real, neither is the image the actors have when they are smoking a cigarette. The report the U.S. Surgeon General released in 1964 portrayed a link between cigarettes and cancer. This report led to an image that can be quite harmful.

It is quite evident that the tobacco industries are in the best interests of making money. Companies like Phillip Morris even state that their mission is to promote products used responsibly by adults. Long after the U.S. Surgeon General's findings of tobacco causing cancer, advertising and sales still soared within this industry. Until this release was issued by the U.S. government did only the tobacco companies put warning labels on their products. But consumers wanting a tobacco product are more than likely gazing at the image of cigarettes and not necessarily the dangerous slow harm it can do to one's body.

The tobacco businesses have no choice nowadays but to make certain that the social responsibility of this product is in favor of the consumer. Litigation and media slander will impersonate these businesses as greedy pawns if the companies are not careful with how they market these products. New anti-smoking groups and organizations utilize public service announcements in magazines and on television to make certain that U.S. policies stay in effect. These policies will not only help reduce the use of cigarette use among baby boomers, but the new generation as well. Children are exposed to cigarettes in all kinds of environments. It is up to tobacco companies to stop glorifying this product amongst the youth here in the U.S.

It is almost quite daring to want to expand the tobacco market overseas but it has already been that way for years. Due to impulsive trading which of course boils down to one thing, money, many markets in other countries are willing to allow cigarette imports from the U.S. In the event that I was exporting tobacco overseas, I would most certainly want to let people know the dangerous slow side effects that smoking can do to a person. An "at your own risk" label, along with information on the company's website in regards to what cigarettes can do to a person would be issued due to the fact that I would not want to lose business or show that my company was unethical. I also do not want to perceive foreign markets that I was not simply trying to make money for the business. This may or may not alleviate economical issues, but ethically other countries will see that my particular company did look out for the consumer's interest while of course making a profit.

Respecting cultural values in this market is not as easy as it seems. It becomes more complex when this industry targets females in other countries simply stating that there is little done to prevent the uproar of female smokers overseas. In fact, in Asia, women are displayed on billboard ads and are wear clothing that promotes certain brands of cigarettes. In Asia, there is little respect or value of the female population. Selling tobacco products to Asian men is becoming more difficult since they are seen as great importance over the women there in their country.

U.S. tobacco industries that import their products overseas should look at the fact as with any other market that although there are certain restrictions when it comes to selling to Asian men, they should not only utilize the female Asian population to make a profit. Young Asian women who do not know any better will soon ignore the warnings and look at the increase of their counterparts smoking so why not so to speak. I believe that if you are going to make a profit with a product that in fact has legal narcotics in it, then it should be targeted amongst all of the people. If there are certain restrictions within that country's government that will not allow it, then I do not see why it should be marketed at all. Both the male and female Asian populations are potential markets for consuming cigarettes and the importing should be distributed ethically and perhaps equally.

Whether or not U.S. tobacco firms would lose out on profits if foreign markets do not want to rehash their restrictions is a gamble the firms would have to risk. With the tobacco industry paying over two billion dollars a year in advertising alone, I do not foresee them losing out on any money if a certain foreign group is limited from buying these products. What tobacco industries should worry about are the groups that are forming to help cease the sudden rise of smoking among foreign women. Then not only will they have U.S. groups here trying to stop the formality of cigarette consuming, but overseas as well.