Anti-tobacco sponsorship

Sponsorship is an important way in which the wheels of society get greased. But sometimes, it comes out with some bizarre combinations.

Such is the new deal between the Williams grand prix racing team and GlaxoSmithKline's NiQuitin CQ. 'This is a landmark deal for a sport which has been bombarded by tobacco messages for 30 years. This is ground-breaking and could well pave the way for other companies to do the same. This could open the door to a new commercial era for F1,' said the team's head of marketing. Fair enough. After all, tobacco sponsorship will be banned very soon.

It's the attempt to make nicotine replacement sexy that makes me laugh. GSK's spokesman said, 'After years of seeing tobacco advertising across the sport, we are offering something different. And from our point of view it offers those trying to give up smoking a more exciting reason.'

Yeah, right. I can see it now, in pubs up and down the land. 'I was going to give up because of the expense or the effect on my health. Yet, somehow, it was never reason enough. But now I've seen a tiny advert on a car whizzing past me at 200 miles per hour for a nicotine replacement, it's all the incentive I need.'

Williams agree anti-smoking deal, BBC News, 15 April 2003