I meant to write about this a couple of weeks ago ...
Anyway, further to yesterday's post about the Advertising Standards Authority and our two-year battle over a Department of Health ad that claimed that "just 15 cigarettes cause a mutation that can lead to cancerous tumours", it's worth noting another ASA adjudication on the subject of smoking.
As some of you know, Imperial Tobacco is responsible for an initiative called Smoke Spots. There's a website and a mobile app that allow smokers to find "smoking-friendly places near you".
Primarily this means pubs and bars that have outdoor smoking areas but Smoke Spots doesn't milk the issue.
Quite often, in fact, Smoke Spots will recommend a specific venue and I can't for the life of me see why it should have special appeal for smokers because there's no mention of a smoking area.
Likewise I've never seen a picture of anyone smoking on the Smoke Spots website. (God forbid!)
Visitors have to take it on trust there's a half decent smoking area in the vicinity but there are times when a Smoke Spots email arrives and I feel like shouting, "That looks lovely but where's the smoking area?!"
Needless to say, anti-smoking campaigners don't like Smoke Spots. It's not enough for smoking to be banned in every pub and club in the country. Tobacco controllers also want to deny smokers the most basic information that might help them find a comfortable place to light up outside their own home.
In July the Guardian reported, Health campaigners blast "Smoke Spots" site.
I don't know the outcome of that complaint but a similar complaint was sent to the Advertising Standards Authority which responded as follows:
ASA restricts smoking app ad (Insider Media)
The implication of the ASA's ruling is that by identifying 'smoking-friendly places near you' Smoke Spots is acting as a gateway to smoking. (Where have I heard that before?)
Do they have any evidence that non-smokers have been encouraged to take up smoking as a result of the ad or app in question?
Smoke Spots provides legitimate information for consumers of a legal product, advising them where they can light up in relative comfort without inconveniencing non-smokers.
But instead of telling Cancer Research and other complainants where to go, the ASA fudged the issue. It upheld just one of the six issues it investigated but that was enough for the ads to be banned:
The ASA concluded that the ads must not appear again in their current form and that Smoke Spots must ensure future campaigns do not "condone or encourage an unsafe practice".
See also: Imperial Tobacco ads for smoking app banned by ASA (Marketing)
PS. I first wrote about Smoke Spots in January. With unerring prescience the post was entitled Smoke Spots: enjoy it while you can.
I urge you to visit the site and make it a success. Oh, and spread the word!