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Español The A.A.M.S. Censors Yesmoke
According to the A.A.M.S, the information insert of the new Yesmokes contains things that cannot be said.
“Make your contribution to take market quotas away from the tobacco multinationals”. According to the Autonomous Agency of the State Monopoly (Azienda Autonoma Monopoli di Stato), this statement cannot be used.
“Inserts must contain exclusively instructive information on the product, and must contain no references, direct or indirect, to promotional aspects”, continued the A.A.M.S.
So, while for years the multinationals have been disseminating all sorts of promotions in Italy, Yesmoke’s information slip is judged not compliant with current regulations.
The “A.A.M.S. Jungle”
Here are some examples of what is going on in Italy in matters of illegal promotions:
The information slips in the packs, the special series
What is found in the Diana cigarettes of the special series plastered with the Italian flag, the "Tricolore", manufactured by Philip Morris in Germany: it recites: “The great passion of the Italians interpreted by contemporary artists in the new series of Diana Art Collections".
The information insert of British American Tobacco, on the other hand, brags about the 40 years of MS cigarettes, exalting the Italian nature - the “Italianità” - of the product (now almost entirely manufactured abroad).
BAT has come up with “40 good reasons to feel unique”, supposedly when we smoke an MS; these include: “the pasta always cooked exactly right”, “the right wine for every occasion”, “strong coffee” and “the Sunday dinner”….
For the A.A.M.S., this is "instructive information on the product" and there is nothing promotional about it.
In Tobacco shops
There are hundreds of salesmen of the multinationals who make periodic visits to tobacco sellers all over Italy to agree on their promotional activity in exchange for favors and gratuities.
These representatives compete for the best positions on the shelves, where, in fact, cigarettes should be arranged in alphabetical order.
In shop windows, where the display of cigarettes is forbidden, striking presentations are enthroned of "Marlboro Compacts", "Virginia Slims" and "Glamours"…
And what about the advertising on shop counters: the sponsored coin plate, the hand outs of advertising gadgets? All these are forbidden, but there they are.
On the streets
Hostesses of the multinationals, besides giving away gadgets in tobacco stores, go around in discoteques, at gatherings, at popular meeting places, handing out free cigarettes (only to over-18s …).
Giving away free cigarettes is the most illegal thing that a producer can do, but it has been going on for years and everyone knows it.
The initiatives of Yesmoke
To deal with this widespread unfair competition, Yesmoke had introduced its “Yesmoke” credit card, on which every day the commissions of tobacco dealers were to be accredited, according to their cigarette sales.
Instead of giving away hand-outs and trinkets, Yesmoke proposed to raise the tobacconists’ collecting commission from 10% to 16% - in a sector where the manufactureres take home profits that come close to 900%. The A.A.M.S. stepped in immediately to block the initiative.
While Yesmoke’s credit card proposal was stopped, risking the loss of its licence, Philip Morris published its bonus catalogue for tobacco sellers, not considered an advertising initiative by the A.A.M.S.
Those who push Marlboros take home shirts and lighters, and even television sets and home appliances for those with exceptional results. But in many cases, Big Tobacco pays money, with bank transfers, without the slightest concern.
Restore order
Yesmoke, today the only company following the rules, will be forced to start up a legal battle to bring to an end the unethical behavior of the multinationals, and of the A.A.M.S. that pretends to contrast these phenomena.
It is up to Yesmoke to restore order in the Italian tobacco market, today nothing more than an unpresentable hunting grounds for a few foreign companies.
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