Marlboro Bright Leaf is Philip Morris' first new cigarette brand in two years. Created specifically for the UK market, it is aiming to steal share from smokers of brands such as Benson & Hedges Silver, and carries a recommended retail price of £5.39 for a pack of 20 and £2.75 for a pack of 10.
A brand launch for a multi-national company would usually be accompanied by a heavyweight ad campaign, but Philip Morris must tread a different path.
Under the TAPA, all forms of cigarette advertising were banned. The regulations also forbid direct marketing. TV ads for cigarettes have been banned since 1965, and those for cigars since 1991, but tobacco brands had continued to make consistent use of outdoor and print media, with classic campaigns such as M&C Saatchi's Silk Cut series.
In addition, PR campaigns to consumer media are now also forbidden. The only 'ads' cigarette brands can run are A5 spots above the gantry at retailers.
As a result, Philip Morris has focused solely on gaining distribution. Its marketing has therefore been primarily directed at pubs, clubs and retailers.
The fact that packaging is one of the few marketing tools available to cigarette brands is not lost on the manufacturer. The Bright Leaf box has a tactile finish, and opens at the side, in the style of a Zippo lighter. A tagline inside the box reads: 'Style meets flavour. Marlboro Bright Leaf. Designed to be different.'
However, even this differentiator may soon be lost, as the Health Bill 2009 proposes a point-of-sale display ban on tobacco products.
Speaking to Marketing at the launch of Bright Leaf, Jens Behrendt, managing director of Philip Morris, expressed annoyance at the impact this latest legislation would have.
'How can you launch a new product when you can't show it?' he asks. The legislation also seeks to restrict the use of vending machines. However, attempts to extend the bill to implement a requirement for plain packaging for cigarettes have so far failed.
The importance of packaging is reiterated by Simon Massey, managing director of branding agency The Gild, which works with Rizla. 'As far as the consumer is concerned, everything has to be communicated through brand, packaging and price,' he says.
'Despite the regulations restricting launch activity, the branding and packaging is strong,' he adds. 'Add to this the cheaper price point and I expect Marlboro Bright Leaf will gain market share, at least among Londoners and urbanites.'
There may yet be a saviour for the tobacco industry. Experts believe the Health Bill will become law before a general election, but that an incoming Conservative administration may choose not to implement it in its entirety.
The advent of the Labour government in 1997 sounded a death knell for tobacco advertising, but with the Conservatives flying high in the polls, the tobacco industry will hope that the party's traditional affinity with business will save it from a total marketing blackout.
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