The firms, whose brands include Benson & Hedges, Embassy and Regal, have declined to join the tobacco alliance that has pledged to adhere to a set of basic marketing principles. The standards include banning the use of models aged under 35 in their advertising and not running ads in publications if fewer than 75% of readers are adults.
So far, seven companies have signed up to the agreement, including British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco and Thailand Tobacco Monopoly.
The initiative, revealed earlier this year (Marketing, July 12), is designed to demonstrate tobacco companies' growing desire to be seen as socially responsible. Anti-smoking groups have suggested that it is a cynical attempt to prevent governments introducing legislation to ban tobacco advertising.
A spokeswoman for Imperial said the company had its own marketing standards that were "broadly congruent with the framework introduced. She denied there was a need for an industry-wide stance on the issue.
"We are not a company on the same global scale as some of the major multinationals. When it comes to marketing standards, one size does not fit all, she said.
A spokesman for Gallaher said it did not intend to sign the agreement because the company "has policies relating to the manufacture, distribution and marketing of its products to ensure that, as an international tobacco company based in the UK, it behaves responsibly".
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