Tobacco Giant Drops Print Ads for 2008

RJ Reynolds won’t buy print ads next year, a break with the tobacco giant's tradition of using newspapers and magazines to reach customers, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. The announcement came the same day an anti-smoking group lambasted RJR and Rolling Stone for four pages of ads abutting a Nov. 15 pullout, designed with a cartoon motif, on indie rock.

RJR said it wouldn’t have advertised if it had known of the cartoon-like design, and Rolling Stone said editors “don’t see the advertising” before designing layouts. Critics say the ad placement and layout is reminiscent of youth-oriented "Joe Camel" ads banned in 1990. “It is outrageous and irresponsible,” said one. Rolling Stone says 13% of its audience is under 18. (More cigarettes stories.)