[Intl-tobacco] Czech Rep: Lower House approves ban on tobacco ads

[Robert Weissman]

Lower House approves ban on tobacco ads

by Ms. Petra Breyerová
Source: Prague Business Journal (cz), 2002-04-29, via tobacco.org
URL: http://www.pbj.cz/user/article.asp?ArticleID=147879

Last week the Chamber of Deputies passed almost a total ban on
tobacco advertising and sponsorship. If the bill is approved by the
Senate and signed by the president, tobacco ads would be banned
everywhere except inside shops that sell tobacco products.

The bill's sponsor, KDU-CSL deputy Josef Janecek, said that he
believes the Senate will support the bill. In countries where
tobacco advertising has been banned, its consumption has decreased by 30
percent, Janecek said.

 Advertising agencies are, of course, not rejoicing.

"The total ban would be a financial shock, " said Jiri Mikes, the
director of the Association of Communication Agencies.

A total ban on tobacco ads would mean an estimated loss of income
for advertising agencies of Kc 2.15-2.55 billion annually,
according to a 2000 study from the Liberal Institute, the
non-governmental organization promoting classical liberal economic ideas.
The total loss to the economy is estimated at up to Kc 3
billion per year, it adds. The study points out that a large number of
advertising agencies are significantly dependent on tobacco
advertising income and about 3, 500 jobs depend on it.

International advertising agencies can easier anticipate the
changes from the new law and adjust in advance. Some 2, 000 smaller Czech
agencies, however, are most at risk from seeing their
turnover cut, according to Ales Zaver, a marketing analyst with
Marketingove Noviny.