Smoking manners

Japan Tobacco launched a new campaign to remind smokers to mind their manners. This ad is one of four designs that evoke misleading newspaper diagrams. The messages are good–I cringe every time Tod lights a cigarette on a crowded street–but the delivery is weird.
Although Tokyo’s nowhere near as anti-smoking as the US, the past few years have seen more public spaces become “no smoking zones.” Japan Tobacco makes an effort to teach their customers better manners while promoting smoking. Will better manners prevent anti-smoking laws? Maybe. If smoking ceases to be a daily nuisance for non-smokers, then why bother with laws? But I don’t think than an ad campaign is enough to make a difference.
And neither does Japan Tobacco. “Smokers’ style” is their ongoing smoking campaign title. It has a cute stylised leaf logo–so natural, just like smoking.
Smokers’ style is more than just ads. They maintain a large indoor smoking space in Akihabara and two mobile trailers (SmoCars) in no-smoking zones to give people a place to feed their addiction. JT also sponsors clean-up teams that sweep the streets free of cigarette butts and hand out portable ashtrays.
You can find out more about the Smokers’ style manners plan, including photos of the SmoCars and all of the new ads at JT Delight World.