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Big smell from big tobacco's school advert
By People's Daily |
July 25, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
"DILIGENCE breeds genius, and tobacco helps you grow."
That's a slogan on the gate of a primary school in Sichuan Province, built with the help of China Tobacco Co. The slogan came to light on a CCTV report last Thursday.
As China bans tobacco ads, tobacco manufacturers have tried hard to disguise commercial ads as something that pertains to culture. The tobacco slogan on the school is just one example to that effect. It's a beautiful lie.
Certainly, tobacco companies can help build a school for poor students, since it's driven by a concern for public interest. But, exactly because it's an act of public interest, commercial ads should be out of sight. By implanting a commercial ad in a charity project, public interest has been undermined.
Ultimately, tobacco has nothing to do with the growth of young students. The slogan in question is questionable because it may mislead students into believing that smoking really helps one grow into a genius.
Last year, China's tobacco industry reported a gross revenue of more than 1 trillion yuan (US$156 billion) and a tax turnover of 752.9 billion yuan. It's not a big deal for the industry to shed a small part of their huge profits to do good, but why has it crossed the bottom line and turned a primary school into an ad venue for tobacco?
That's a slogan on the gate of a primary school in Sichuan Province, built with the help of China Tobacco Co. The slogan came to light on a CCTV report last Thursday.
As China bans tobacco ads, tobacco manufacturers have tried hard to disguise commercial ads as something that pertains to culture. The tobacco slogan on the school is just one example to that effect. It's a beautiful lie.
Certainly, tobacco companies can help build a school for poor students, since it's driven by a concern for public interest. But, exactly because it's an act of public interest, commercial ads should be out of sight. By implanting a commercial ad in a charity project, public interest has been undermined.
Ultimately, tobacco has nothing to do with the growth of young students. The slogan in question is questionable because it may mislead students into believing that smoking really helps one grow into a genius.
Last year, China's tobacco industry reported a gross revenue of more than 1 trillion yuan (US$156 billion) and a tax turnover of 752.9 billion yuan. It's not a big deal for the industry to shed a small part of their huge profits to do good, but why has it crossed the bottom line and turned a primary school into an ad venue for tobacco?
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