To maximize profits, the tobacco industry invests billions of dollars yearly around the globe on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) to aggressively promote its deadly products and the social acceptability of tobacco use. A wide range of TAPS strategies are employed to directly and indirectly make tobacco products attractive and pervasive, targeting not only potential tobacco users (i.e. youth, who are highly receptive to tobacco marketing) and current and former tobacco users, but also policy makers and the public, so as to artificially create the impression that tobacco use is normal and non-harmful or that the tobacco industry is a socially responsible corporate sector.

Therefore, Parties to the WHO FCTC “recognize that a comprehensive ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship would reduce the consumption of tobacco products” (Article 13) because an effective TAPS ban can reduce the appeal of tobacco use (out of sight, out of mind), thereby helping prevent youth uptake, discouraging tobacco use, and preventing ex-users from relapsing. To be effective, a TAPS ban must be comprehensive and cover all forms of TAPS. Partial bans are ineffective because the tobacco industry will maximize TAPS forms that are not banned (e.g. banning mass media TAPS but allowing TAPS at points of sale (POS) or on the Internet, or allowing CSR activities by the tobacco industry). Globally, an increasing number of countries (57) have reported having adopted a comprehensive ban of all TAPS.

All ASEAN countries are implementing a TAPS ban, but most are partial bans, with Indonesia having the weakest TAPS restrictions in the region.

In addition to a ban on direct tobacco advertising in most ASEAN countries, Brunei, Singapore, and Thailand also ban the display of tobacco packs at POS to reduce the visibility of tobacco products. These three countries also require licenses for tobacco retailers to facilitate regulatory compliance.

Only three ASEAN countries (Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand) currently ban CSR activities by the tobacco industry, while only the publicity of tobacco industry CSR is prohibited in Cambodia, Singapore and Vietnam.

As this chapter illustrates, more still needs to be done to achieve a comprehensive TAPS ban across the ASEAN region, noting that the industry will continue to find innovative ways and constantly evolve its marketing tactics to promote and market its products, such as through creative package designs, new product flavors, new media, and cross-border advertising.

Tobacco advertising at point-of-sale in ASEANClick to enlarge