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Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. will dump a marketing campaign that utilized Hip-Hop to promote their Kool Brand of cigarettes.
Critics claimed that the campaign was aimed at luring black youth into smoking the cigarettes and that the campaign violated a legal settlement the tobacco company reached with 46 states.
Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe, who is in charge of enforcing the settlement, ordered Brown & Williamson to halt the campaign, which bars tobacco companies from targeting teens using advertising or marketing.
A recent letter to Rowe, a Brown & Williamson attorney said the company will no longer package the cigarettes using rappers, DJ's and dancers to sell the Kool brand.
Kool was promoting the brand using the "Kool Mixx 2004," labeled by the company as the "largest and most prestigious DJ competition anywhere." Kool Mixx ran for six years and was a coast-to-coast DJ battle.
This year was the first time they included an MC competition.
"Kool understands the vibrant urban world of the trendsetting, multicultural smoker," said Ludo Cremers, divisional vice president, brand marketing in a press release after the competition was announced. "Kool is the menthol authority. At the same time, Kool keeps it real and remains linked to the latest urban trends. We'll showcase these trends this year through Kool Mixx and other promotions and events."
The company also released special edition thematic cigarette packs and an interactive CD-Rom.
Activists also want the remaining Kool special promotional items that are still in stores pulled.
Source: allhiphop.com
Critics claimed that the campaign was aimed at luring black youth into smoking the cigarettes and that the campaign violated a legal settlement the tobacco company reached with 46 states.
Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe, who is in charge of enforcing the settlement, ordered Brown & Williamson to halt the campaign, which bars tobacco companies from targeting teens using advertising or marketing.
A recent letter to Rowe, a Brown & Williamson attorney said the company will no longer package the cigarettes using rappers, DJ's and dancers to sell the Kool brand.
Kool was promoting the brand using the "Kool Mixx 2004," labeled by the company as the "largest and most prestigious DJ competition anywhere." Kool Mixx ran for six years and was a coast-to-coast DJ battle.
This year was the first time they included an MC competition.
"Kool understands the vibrant urban world of the trendsetting, multicultural smoker," said Ludo Cremers, divisional vice president, brand marketing in a press release after the competition was announced. "Kool is the menthol authority. At the same time, Kool keeps it real and remains linked to the latest urban trends. We'll showcase these trends this year through Kool Mixx and other promotions and events."
The company also released special edition thematic cigarette packs and an interactive CD-Rom.
Activists also want the remaining Kool special promotional items that are still in stores pulled.
Source: allhiphop.com