Cigarette Marketing Results in Lawsuit
July 8, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Marketing
The cigarette industry has gotten a lot of heat as of late in regards to their marketing practices. According to Bloomberg.com, Altria Group and Reynolds American have been sued due to the marketing of “light” and “ultra light” cigarettes.
The lawsuit claims that the claims that these “light” cigarettes were fraudulent. The suit, which was filed on behalf of cigarette smokers in the state of Tennessee, hopes to garner class-action status.
Court papers filed by the plaintiffs in the city of Nashville had this to say: “Their marketing, which emphasized reductions in tar and nicotine, was false and misleading.”
Altria Group, which formerly went by the name of Philip Morris Companies, is one of the largest tobacco-related companies in the world. It has more than 10,000 employees.
Reynolds American has in excess of 6,000 employees and reportedly sells more than 25% of all the cigarettes sold in the United States.
Cigarette Marketing (Image: Flickr)
