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, 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 (66) have reported having adopted a
comprehensive ban on 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, Lao PDR,
Singapore, and Thailand (and 21 cities/districts in
Indonesia) also ban the display of tobacco packs at
POS to reduce the visibility of tobacco products.
Three countries (Brunei, Singapore, and Thailand)
also require licenses for tobacco retailers to facilitate
regulatory compliance.
Only four ASEAN countries (Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Myanmar, and Thailand) currently ban CSR
activities by the tobacco industry, while only the
publicity of tobacco industry CSR is prohibited in
Cambodia, Indonesia, 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.
Status of ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in ASEAN
- Ban
- Partial Ban
- No Ban
- POS - Point-of-Sale
- CSR - Corporate Social Responsibility
| Brunei | Cambodia | Indonesia | Lao PDR | Malaysia | Myanmar | Philippines | Singapore | Thailand | Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Advertising | ||||||||||
| Promotion | Allow at POS | |||||||||
| Sponsorship | Sponsor without cigarette brand | |||||||||
| Ad at POS | ||||||||||
| CSR | Ban cigarette brand name* | Ban publicity | Ban publicity | Ban publicity | ||||||
| Pack Display | Allow 1 pack per brand | ** | Ban publicity | |||||||
| Cross Border |
*Cambodia’s tobacco control law bans sponsorship of concerts or sport events or other public events that carry tobacco brand names, and Ministry of Education Youth and Sport issued a circular banning all forms of partnership between the tobacco industry and public and private educational institutions.
**In Indonesia, there are 21 cities/districts that have banned cigarette display at point-of-sale (POS) by local ordinances (as of June 2023).
Tobacco marketing channels
On billboards
Outdoor tobacco advertising billboards can be found in Indonesia* and the Philippines.
*As of May 2023, there are 21 cities/districts including Jakarta province that have banned outdoor advertisement and billboards.
Sales by individual sellers (not shops)
| Ban | No Ban |
|---|---|
|
|
Tobacco industry recruits pretty young girls as promoters to sell cigarettes, which is a violation of the law in Vietnam.
Best practice: Bans on the retail display of tobacco products
Thailand, was the first country in the ASEAN region to implement a complete ban on the retail display of tobacco products at point-of-sale, effective on 25 September 2005.
Brunei banned point-of-sale displays in 2010 as a prohibition on advertisements relating to smoking and displaying the cigarette packs was considered as a mode of advertisement.
Singapore enforced a ban on displaying cigarette packs at point-of-sale on 1 August 2017 to reduce the exposure of non-smokers, especially the youth, to the advertising effect of tobacco product displays, as well as to encourage current smokers attempting to quit by minimising impulse purchases of tobacco products.
Lao PDR's 2021 Tobacco Control Law bans point-of-sale displays by prohibiting the display of any forms of advertising for tobacco products that would encourage or promote tobacco smoking or the distribution and trading of tobacco products, including showing texts or logos to encourage tobacco product use.
Indonesia has 21 cities/districts that ban cigarette display at point-of-sale (POS) by local ordinances. These cities/districts are located in various provinces including Bali, Bengkulu, DKI Jakarta, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah and Lampung (as of June 2023).
Curbing tobacco industry CSR activities in ASEAN
Progress in curbing tobacco industry CSR activities
Ban on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities: All such activities are now banned in Lao PDR, Malaysia*, Myanmar, and Thailand. The publicity of such CSR activities is banned in Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam.
Philippines: Ban on donations to schools.. The Philippine Department of Education
Order No.
6/2012 restricts interaction of officials with the tobacco industry; this includes a prohibition on
the
tobacco industry partnering with or donating to schools and school officials.
In 2016 the Department of Education issued Department Order No. 48 s. 2016: Policy and Guidelines
on Comprehensive Tobacco Control, which prescribes rules on how parents, teachers, and school
officials of private and public schools can facilitate enforcement of the ban on sponsorships,
including
so-called CSR of the tobacco industry, and on selling and advertising tobacco within a 100-meter
perimeter of schools.
Cambodia: Ban of use, advertisement, display, and sale of tobacco, and collaboration with the tobacco industry. In February 2021, the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (MEYS) through a circular banned all forms of partnership between the tobacco industry and public and private educational institutions.
Indonesia: Minister of Education and Culture Regulation No. 64/2015 Tobacco-Free School Premises states, “Reject any offer of advertisement, promotion, sponsorship, and/or collaboration in any form with tobacco manufacturers and/or any organization that uses trademark, logo, slogan, and/or colour associated with the specific characteristics of the tobacco industry to support curricular or extracurricular activities inside and outside school premises.” This effectively bans the tobacco industry from conducting anti-smoking programmes in schools.
*Malaysia’s new Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 prohibits CSR of the tobacco industry.
ISO 26000: Tobacco industry conducts fake CSR
Responsibility of an organization for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behavior that contributes to sustainable development, health and the welfare of society; takes into account the expectations of stakeholders; is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behaviour; and is integrated throughout the organization and practiced in its relationships.
For more detailed information, please visit http://tobaccowatch.seatca.org and https://timonitor.seatca.org/, also refer to SEATCA Tobacco Advertising, Promotion, and Sponsorship (TAPS) Index: Implementation of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 13 in ASEAN Countries (2022), Lifting the Veil of Tobacco Industry’s Corporate Charity in the ASEAN (2023), Tobacco Charity Exposed: Review of the Tobacco Industry’s CSR Activities in the ASEAN (2022), and Hijacking ‘Sustainability’ from the SDGs: Review of Tobacco-Related CSR activities in the ASEAN Region (2017).
Ban on sale of single sticks of cigarettes in ASEAN
- No Ban
- Ban
- Price per stick of popular brand (USD)
| COUNTRY | Ban | No Ban |
|---|---|---|
| Myanmar | ✔ | |
| Lao PDR | ✔ | |
| Vietnam | ✔ Thang Long 0.02 (VND 675) Craven A Demi Slim 0.03 (VND 820) |
|
| Cambodia | ✔ | |
| Philippines | ✔ Marlboro 0.16 (PHP 8.75) Fortune 0.11 (PHP 6.25) |
|
| Thailand | ✔ | |
| Malaysia | ✔ | |
| Indonesia | ✔ | |
| Brunei Darussalam | ✔ | |
| Singapore | ✔ |
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