Opinion

The changing face of cigarette packets in Asia

Picture 8More than a third of the world’s smokers are in China. The only non-Asian countries in the top five biggest tobacco-consuming countries, which also features Indonesia and Japan, are US and Russia.

But Asia varies wildly in the extent to which governments try to stop people smoking (if they do at all), and what tobacco companies are allowed to do to recruit smokers.

The most direct form of government intervention is the cigarette packet itself, often using the same sort of creativity that big tobacco has deployed for generations to get people hooked.

In this image feature (some are not easy on the eye, so bewarned) Mumbrella takes a look at how some of the most powerful brands in Asia are being subverted by health authorities.

Hong Kong. Making death morbidly cool?

Hong Kong skeleton in pink shirt

Japan. Smoke the peace pipe.

Japan

Vietnam. A choking death.

Vietnam - heart attack

Thailand. Not subtle.

Thailand cheek cancer

Singapore. When you’re hooked, your child suffers too.

Singapore cigarette packet

Vietnam. Bad teeth.

Kent cigarettes

Australia. Bryan does not look well. Packaging stripped of all branding and turned a murky puddle brown, which research from the Department of Health suggests is the most off-putting colour for would-be puffers.

Australia

Indonesia. Smoking is as cool as riding a Harley.

Indonesia

China. A light touch for the world’s most passionate smokers.

China ciggy packet

Myanmar. A flash back to big tobacco’s golden age.

Myanmar

India. Point out the danger with an alarming red arrow.

India cigarette packet

Hong Kong. A creative way to portray impotence.

Impotence

The UK. Cigarettes likened to injecting heroin.

UK cigarette packet

France. Problems in the bedroom are highlighted. Quelle surprise.

French cigarette packet

Got any others from other countries you could send us? If you do, I’ll add them to the list; robin.hicks@mumbrella.asia

Robin Hicks

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