muttley wrote:Barcodes instead of cigarette sponsors are really nothing new. This picture was taken in 1985:
Which really makes you think. Back then, McLaren was just a Marlboro packet on wheels, and still it was OK just to replace the text with a barcode.
By the way, after they are done with banning cigarettes, they will move on to energy drinks (there are already some studies associating them with various diseases). Is Red Bull next on the list of Big Nanny?
The thing is, in that case the restriction was simply for one particular track (which would be Brands Hatch, I believe), and although there are some historical livery changes, most of the time that was down to regulation for that particular location. It is only in the last few years that the ban has become universal amongst the member states of the EU, and the legal restrictions on tobacco advertising have become much tighter over the last 25 years to the point where it is increasing uneconomic for the tobacco companies to advertise.
muttley wrote:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article7111124.eceThe red, white and black bar code emblazoned on Ferrari’s racing cars and its drivers’ overalls is designed to remind viewers of a packet of Marlboro cigarettes, it is claimed. Under EU legislation it is an offence for a tobacco company to sponsor sporting events.
Yesterday a spokesman for the European Public Health Commissioner said he thought that Marlboro’s approach constituted potential subliminal marketing,
I guess the European Public Health Commissioner has something better to do than resurrect an old, disproved theory (subliminal advertising) just to score some publicity points? I mean, if you squint hard enough, any pattern of red, white and black can look like a pack of cigs.
It does seem very strange that they are only complaining now - that exact same barcode has been there, in the same position, since 2006. Why is it only now that somebody is complaining about it? Equally, why only Ferrari and F1? Ducati run exactly the same logo on their motorbikes, yet there has not been a single mention of it.
Something doesn't seem to be quite right here - is this genuinely being brought up because of health concerns alone, or is it being brought up because it is convenient to do so? After all, the regulators let teams get away with subliminal tobacco advertising for years (the "Buzzing Hornets" Jordan, BAR, the Renault liveries based on Mild Seven colours), right up until the end of the 2006 season - and even then,they left the door open for logos like the Ferrari barcode.
Ironically, I would expect that quite a few people who were new to F1 would probably not have initially realised what the barcode on the Ferrari stood for - in a way, this report has effectively told everyone that this is advertising for Phillip Morris (the parent company of Marlboro), and raised it's profile quite considerably.
