Advertising Practitioners Look at a Ban on Tobacco Advertising

A two-city (Milwaukee, Minneapolis) survey of advertising practitioners did not find clear support for or against a sometimes-discussed total ban against tobacco advertising. The survey did find that smokers are somewhat more resistant than nonsmokers to the idea of a ban but that advertising specialists have not been especially swayed by trade publications' strong resistance to a ban. Most believed, contrary to the tobacco industry position, that advertising entices young people to smoke. These specialists report their views shaped as much by the general press as by the specialized trade press.